HEALTH

Children: Protection

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether he considers child protection to be a key public health outcome; what provisions are in place to ensure that (a) health and well-being boards and (b) GPs and clinical commissioning groups are encouraged to promote child protection; and which composite organisations of the NHS have a statutory responsibility in regard to child protection.

Daniel Poulter: All children should be enabled to thrive and achieve. This is reflected in the Public Health Outcomes Framework, which includes a number of indicators of relevance to safeguarding and protecting children. The Children and Young People's Health Outcomes Forum highlighted the importance of safeguarding children. We shall be responding to the Forum's recommendations shortly.
	The Government's mandate to the NHS Commissioning Board includes a clear expectation that the national health service, working together with schools and children's social services, will support and safeguard vulnerable children, through a more joined-up approach to addressing their needs. The mandate sets the Board an objective of continuing to improve safeguarding practice in the NHS.
	Health and wellbeing boards, working at a local level, will have a duty to have regard to the Mandate in undertaking Joint Strategic Needs Assessments and Joint Health and Wellbeing Strategies, which will enable commissioners to plan and commission integrated services that meet the needs of their local community, in particular for the most vulnerable groups.
	Under the Children Act 2004, NHS bodies have a statutory duty to make arrangements to safeguard and promote the welfare of children, and they are statutory members of Local Safeguarding Children Boards. In April, these statutory duties will transfer under the Health and Social Care Act 2012 from primary care trusts and strategic health authorities to clinical, commissioning groups and the NHS Commissioning Board. The statutory responsibilities of NHS providers for safeguarding children will not change.

Domestic Violence

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether he considers domestic violence to be a key public health outcome; and what provisions are in place to ensure that (a) health and well-being boards and (b) GPs and clinical commissioning groups are encouraged to tackle domestic violence.

Daniel Poulter: Domestic violence is recognised as a key public health issue, and the Public Health Outcomes Framework will therefore include a measure of domestic violence, which is currently being developed. As part of the health reforms, any specialist domestic violence services that were commissioned by primary care trusts will become the responsibility of the local authority.
	The NHS Operating Framework for 2012-13 emphasises the key role of health and well-being boards in joining up commissioning and services across the national health service, social care, public health and other initiatives related to the health and well-being of local people. Health and well-being boards will serve as an important means of tackling violence against women and girls, and will include representation from local health agencies, including clinical commissioning groups.
	We have already worked with the National Learning Network for health and well-being boards and the NHS Confederation to publish a resource to support and encourage health and well-being boards and criminal justice agencies to work together locally. We are also working with the Home Office and other partners including local public health and community safety partnerships, to support local understanding and joint working on violence, including domestic violence.
	The Department has undertaken significant work to promote awareness, and to encourage health care professionals in the identification and understanding of domestic violence given their key role in providing opportunities for victims to disclose in a safe environment. This includes routine enquiry by midwives who ask all pregnant women whether they are at risk of, or suffering from domestic violence.
	Given the impact which domestic violence has on children, this will also continue to be a key safeguarding issue for which all parts of the system will have some responsibility. Statutory guidance, ‘Working Together to Safeguard Children’, sets out how organisations and individuals should work together to safeguard and promote the welfare of children and young people, in accordance with the Children Acts 1989 and 2004.
	The Department has been working with the NHS Commissioning Board and other partners to develop an accountability and assurance framework for safeguarding in the future NHS. Interim advice in September 2012 expanded on the safeguarding requirements for clinical commissioning groups to demonstrate in order to be authorised. An update will be published shortly, alongside revised statutory guidance.

Drugs: Misuse

Nick de Bois: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much his Department has spent on advertising the risks associated with Class (a) A, (b) B and (c) C drugs in each of the last five years.

Daniel Poulter: The FRANK drug information campaign was launched in May 2003, providing young people and their families with advice and information about all drugs. The campaign is managed jointly by the Department of Health, the Home Office and the Department for Education.
	The Home Office fund advertising to raise awareness of the FRANK service. The Department of Health fund and manage the FRANK service which comprises the helpline, email, SMS and website.
	Department of Health's contributions to FRANK's advertising campaigns:
	
		
			  £ million 
			 2008-09 2.4 
			 2009-10 1.2 
			 2010-11 0 
			 2011-12 0 
			 2012-13 0 
			 Notes: 1. Figures rounded to the nearest £100,000 2. Paid for advertising costs includes all traditional and digital media but excludes agency fees and production costs.

Fast Food

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health with which Public Health Responsibility Deal partners he will discuss the recent report by the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood on fast food.

Daniel Poulter: The purpose of the Public Health Responsibility Deal is to develop action by business to help address major behavioural risk factors such as poor diet. The evaluation of science and safety, including the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood on fast food, is not part of the Responsibility Deal's remit.

Health Services

Dominic Raab: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether his Department intends to publish the Fair Playing Field report written by KPMG in 2009 on commissioning NHS services.

Daniel Poulter: The 2009 report produced by KPMG was commissioned on behalf of the previous Government and the decision was taken not to publish it. The Department has subsequently disclosed copies of the report upon request in line with its duties under the Freedom of Information Act. A copy of the report has been placed in the Library.

Health: Children

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 10 January 2013, Official Report, column 396W, on health: children, 
	(1)  if he will publish a list of all the funding research projects in children's well-being that his Department is or will be funding;
	(2)  if he will publish statistics on life satisfaction among children by (a) region and (b) local authority in descending order for each category.

Daniel Poulter: The Department currently contributes funding to a number of research projects addressing aspects of children's well-being.
	Since May 2010, the Department has committed £49.3 million through the National Institute for Health Research to provide the support and facilities that the NHS needs for first class research and to fund research to advance clinical, public health, and genetic approaches into clinical practice for children and younger people.
	From 1 April 2011, the Department invested £9.6 million through the Policy Research programme in two policy research units aimed at delivering the best evidence in maternal health and care and the health of children, young people and their families.
	The Department is funding a wide range of research projects, which focus on or consider children's well-being as part of their work, listed as follows:
	Health Behaviours of School-Aged Children
	http://www.hbscengland.com/
	Understanding Society
	http://www.understandingsociety.org.uk/
	Millennium Cohort Study
	http://www.cls.ioe.ac.uk/page.aspx?&sitesectionid=851&sitesectiontitle= Welcome+to+the+Millennium+Cohort+Study
	Smoking, Drinking and Drug Use Survey Among Young People in England
	http://www.ic.nhs.uk/article/2021/Website-Search?productid=7911&q=smoking+drinking+and +drug+use+survey&sort=Relevance&size=10&page=l&area=both#top
	Department of Health Policy Research Programme:
	Behavioural and Emotional Dimensions in Children
	Evaluating the Family Nurse Partnership Programme in England: a Randomised Controlled Trial
	BEDiC: Behavioural and Emotional Dimensions in Children (Formerly: Early Personality Traits and Later Personality Disorder)
	Prospective evaluation of follow-up and outcomes following adolescent sexual assault
	Bridging the knowledge and practice gap between domestic violence and child safeguarding: developing policy and training for general practice.
	Policy Research Unit in Health of Children Young People and Families
	http://www.ucl.ac.uk/cpru
	The health of children in different family structures: a cohort analysis to inform policy
	Scoping and piloting the potential for inter-country comparisons to inform policy development and evaluation for children's health
	What has been the impact of NICE guidelines on recognition of child maltreatment seen in hospital?
	Acute paediatric and local authority child protection services: effective liaison in cases of suspected child maltreatment
	Qualitative work to explore how practitioners and patients within CAMHS and within diabetes care use PROMS
	A feasibility study of use of feedback to practitioners of routinely collected outcome data to inform and improve practice
	Conduct disorder, parenting practices and long term susceptibility to intervention
	High risk youth who engage in multiple health risk behaviour: identifying opportunities for prevention
	Evaluating the use of a population measure of child development in the Healthy Child Programme two year review
	A literature review on DNA's in children's health care
	A study to explore the relationship between area level health spending and child health outcomes.
	Policy Research Unit in Maternal Health and Care
	https://www.npeu.ox.ac.uk/prumhc
	The role of fathers in the development of the healthy child
	Cost benefit thresholds for interventions, for obesity in pregnancy and postnatally, and the impact on child health
	Improving the evidence base to support breastfeeding
	What makes children resilient? A life course perspective on the processes that lead to favourable outcomes in health, education and social functioning.
	Health Promotion and Public Health Reviews Facility
	http://eppi.ioe.ac.uk/cms/default.aspx?tabid=73
	Children's views about obesity, body size, shape and weight
	Including diverse groups of children and young people in health promotion and public health research: a review of methodology and practice
	Health promotion, inequalities and young people's health: a systematic review of research
	Inequalities and the mental health of young people: a systematic review of secondary school-based cognitive behavioural interventions
	Social and environmental interventions to reduce childhood obesity: a systematic map of reviews
	Large-scale and locally based schemes to promote healthy weight among obese and overweight children in England
	Becoming a Dad: the impact of fathers' involvement on the mental health of children, mothers and fathers: a systematic rapid evidence assessment of Millennium Cohort Study analyses
	Are incentive schemes effective in changing young people's behaviour? A systematic review
	Childhood obesity and educational attainment—A systematic review
	Systematic Review of research addressing children's, young people's and parents' views of walking and cycling for transport
	Young people and mental health: a systematic review of research on barriers and facilitators.
	Public Health Research Consortium
	http://phrc.lshtm.ac.uk
	In what circumstances can parental employment improve child health?
	Pilot RCT of family based interventions to prevent childhood obesity.
	National Institute for Health Research (NIHR)
	http://www.nihr.ac.uk/
	NIHR Programme Grants for Applied Research
	http://www.ccf.nihr.ac.uk/PGfAR
	The development of an integrated early detection and intervention model for Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder
	Evidence based intervention for pre-school children with primary speech and language impairment
	Do Specialist Cancer Services, for Teenagers and Young Adults (TYA) Add Value?
	Research for Patient Benefit
	http://www.ccf.nihr.ac.uk/RfPB
	Telephone consultation as a substitute for routine out-patient face-to-face consultation for children with inflammatory bowel disease: randomised controlled trial and economic evaluation.
	However, the Department is not able to publish a list of projects that it will be funding in the future, as these projects have not been confirmed.
	The Department of Health does not have statistics on life satisfaction among children at the regional or local level.

Infant Mortality: Newham

Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the trends in infant mortality rates in Newham.

Daniel Poulter: The infant mortality rate for Newham in 2010 was 5.9 deaths per 1,000 live births. This compares with a rate of 4.2 deaths per 1,000 live births in England for the same period. The higher rates in Newham reflect the higher level of deprivation - Newham ranked third out of 326 local authorities on the Index of Multiple Deprivation in 2010.
	While infant mortality rates have declined across England over the last 10 years and are now at a historic low level, inequalities remain. Rates in Newham are broadly following this trend—having fallen by 19% between 2000 and 2010, compared with a 25% drop in infant mortality rates across England over the same period.

Psychiatry

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what arrangements the NHS Commissioning Board is making to support the roll out of the Improving Access to Psychological Therapies programme for (a) children and (b) adults; and if he will make a statement.

Daniel Poulter: From April 2013, responsibility for commissioning psychological therapies will transfer from primary care trusts to clinical commissioning groups (CCGs). The NHS Commissioning Board (NHS CB) will commission the most specialised mental health services and primary care services. It will support CCGs and hold them to account for securing continuous improvements in outcomes for patients.
	The NHS CB is fully committed to delivering the Government's ambition to improve access to psychological therapies, as set out in the mandate.
	The Minister of State, the hon. Member for North Norfolk (Norman Lamb), met with Lord Layard, together with representatives of the NHS CB to discuss future arrangements for Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) within the NHS CB. It is the NHS CB's intention to have a team working on both children and young people's and adult IAPT as part of its NHS Improvement Body. Planning for the transition of the Children and Young People's IAPT project is at an advanced stage. These discussions will now extend to include other development and service improvement aspects of the IAPT programme.

TRANSPORT

A1101: Welney

Stephen Barclay: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  what the estimated cost is of improved flood defences at Welney to prevent the A1101 flooding;
	(2)  what the estimated cost is of building a new causeway on the A1101 at Welney;
	(3)  on how many days the A1101 at Welney has been closed (a) this year and (b) in each of the last 30 years;
	(4)  what the estimated cost to the local economy of the closure of the A1101 at Welney is (a) this year and (b) in each of the last 30 years.

Norman Baker: The A1101 is a local road and is the responsibility for the local highway authority, Norfolk County Council. The Department for Transport is aware that this road is subject to flooding after heavy rainfall which results in closures and diversions to local residents.
	In order to solve the flooding problem there are a number of options including raising the highway or constructing a bridge. No estimate has been made by the Department for Transport of the costs to build a new causeway on the A1101 at Welney as this is a matter for Norfolk County Council working closely with Welney Parish Council and others, including the Environment Agency.
	The Department for Transport does not hold information in regards to how many days the road at Welney has been closed nor the estimated cost to the local economy due to any closure in (a) this year or (b) in each of the last 30 years.

Campaign for Better Transport

Therese Coffey: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much public funding the Campaign for Better Transport received in each of the last five financial years.

Norman Baker: The Campaign for Better Transport (previously known as Transport 2000) received funding as follows:
	
		
			  £ 
			 2008-09 135,751 
			 2009-10 230,918 
			 2010-11 0 
			 2011-12 0 
			 2012-13 0

Car Tax

Christopher Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what (a) gross revenue and (b) net revenue after costs was obtained by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority from the charge applied to motorists seeking to renew their tax disc with a credit card payment in the last 12 months.

Stephen Hammond: In the financial year 2011-12 the gross revenue collected was £8.6 million. The credit card charge was calculated to cover the specific costs of using credit cards, therefore the net revenue after costs is nil.

Driving: Licensing

Nick de Bois: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what representations he has received on the insurance industry's Access to Driver Data project; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Hammond: Officials from the Department for Transport have been working very closely with the motor insurance industry on access to the driver database (IIADD) project for two years. Furthermore, I have met with representatives from the motor insurance industry on a wide range of insurance issues, including the IIADD project.
	The Government is committed to reducing the number of uninsured drivers on our roads. Tackling fraud is key to making this happen and good progress is being made in allowing the insurance industry access to DVLA driver details on penalty points and disqualifications.

Driving: Licensing

Marcus Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what studies his Department has undertaken to examine waiting times for driving licence applications since the installation of Cogent photographic equipment in post offices.

Stephen Hammond: No formal studies have been undertaken to examine waiting times for driving licence applications since the installation of Cogent photographic equipment in post offices. Daily monitoring shows that more than 99.5% of the applications processed at the Post Office using this equipment are issued within five days. This exceeds the published customer service target to issue 98% of driving licences within 10 days of receipt of the application.

First Great Western

Alison Seabeck: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when the Greater Western franchise ends; whether he intends to extend the franchise; and if he will make a statement.

Simon Burns: The Government recently confirmed that we would consider the findings of the independent review of rail franchising by Richard Brown, and that a further statement would be made by February about the three franchise competitions put on hold last October. This will include future plans for the Great Western franchise.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the (a) additional regional services the HS2-HS1 link could facilitate and (b) potential economic benefit from such additional services if the capacity of that link were to be increased from that currently proposed.

Simon Burns: There has been no assessment made to date of either (a) the additional regional services the HS2-HS1 link could facilitate or (b) potential economic benefit from such additional services if the capacity of that link were to be increased from that currently proposed. My officials are continuing to work with HS2 Ltd to identify the best approach for providing the link. The precise services which will operate on the link are a matter for the future in the light of demand at the time.

Railways: Essex

James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he plans to announce whether there will be an extension to the Essex Thameside franchise.

Simon Burns: The Government recently confirmed that we would consider the findings of the independent review of rail franchising by Richard Brown, and that a further statement would be made by February about the three franchise competitions put on hold last October. This will include future plans for the Essex Thameside franchise.

Roads: Liverpool

Steve Rotheram: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many motorists have been (a) killed and (b) seriously injured in sleep-related road traffic accidents in Liverpool, Walton constituency since May 2010.

Stephen Hammond: The data on factors contributing to road accidents is not broken down below regional level since the number of casualties can often be small and therefore it may be possible to identify the individuals involved in an accident.
	However, the numbers of motorists killed or seriously injured in reported personal injury road accidents where driver or rider “fatigue” was a contributory factor since May 2010 in the North West region are as follows:
	May 2010 to December 2010: 0 killed and 20 seriously injured; and
	January 2011 to December 2011: 8 killed and 41 seriously injured.
	Data for 2012 will be available in June 2013.

Roads: Liverpool

Steve Rotheram: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many road traffic accidents there were in Liverpool, Walton constituency arising from (a) motorists and (b) cyclists ignoring red traffic lights in the last two years for which figures are available.

Stephen Hammond: The data on factors contributing to road accidents are not broken down below regional level since the number of accidents can often be small and therefore it may be possible to identify the individuals involved in an accident.
	However, the number of personal injury road accidents in the North West region where “disobeyed automatic traffic signal” was a contributory factor for (a) motorists and (b) cyclists in the years 2010 and 2011 are as follows:
	2010: 330 motor vehicles and 13 cyclists;
	2011: 302 motor vehicles and 23 cyclists.

Roads: Repairs and Maintenance

Charlotte Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether the concrete crack and seat technique of road-relaying is recognised by British Building Standards.

Norman Baker: The concrete crack and seat technique is not covered by a British Standard published by the British Standards Institution.
	A specification for the crack and seat technique for concrete roads is included in the Highways Agency's Specification for Highway Works, used for constructing and maintaining the strategic road network in England. Many local highway authorities use or adapt the advice published by the Highways Agency for use on their roads.

Roads: Repairs and Maintenance

David Blunkett: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the Secretary of State's letter of 18 December 2012, on Autumn Statement 2012 Local Transport Funding, Annex A, Additional Highways Maintenance Funding, which local authorities are receiving zero funding in the periods (a) 2013-14 and (b) 2014-15.

Norman Baker: The Government announced on 18 December 2012 how each local highway authority in England will benefit from an additional £215 million of funding for highways maintenance spread over the period 2013-14 and 2014-15. Sheffield City Council, Birmingham City Council, the Isle of Wight Council and Hounslow (as part of calculating London's share) will not receive this additional funding. This is because these authorities have highways maintenance Private Finance Initiative (PFI) arrangements in place and it was agreed as part of those arrangements that they would not receive Departmental highways maintenance capital block funding.

Transport: Schools

Pat Glass: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the answer of 21 February 2012, Official Report, column 746W, on transport: schools, what steps he has taken with the Secretary of State for Education with regards to the publication of the Efficiency and Practice Review of Home to School Transport.

Norman Baker: Department for Education (DfE) Ministers have kept Department for Transport Ministers informed of the progress of the Efficiency and Practice Review of Home to School Transport and I discussed the matter when I recently met with my Rt Hon Friend, the Minister of State for Education, the Rt Hon Member for Yeovil (David Laws). The DfE will publish the report of the review in due course.

EDUCATION

Aviation

Fabian Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many air miles were accumulated by each Minister in his Department in 2012; how such air miles were used; and whether such air miles were donated to charity.

Elizabeth Truss: DFE Ministers have not accumulated any air miles in the course of official duties in 2012.

Children's Centres: Nottinghamshire

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many Sure Start children's centres in the Nottinghamshire local authority area have reduced (a) the number of hours they are open and (b) the number of days they are open since May 2010.

Elizabeth Truss: The Department does not collect information on the opening hours of Sure Start children's centres or the number of days they are open. Local authorities should ensure the opening times and availability of services delivered through their children's centres meets the needs of families in their area.

Data Protection

Fabian Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for Education on how many occasions each Minister in his Department carried classified documents on public transport in the last 12 months for which information is available.

Elizabeth Truss: The Department does not hold this information. To gather this information, we would incur disproportionate costs.

Email

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will place in the Library a copy of all correspondence between his Department and the Information Commissioner on the use of private email accounts to discuss items of Government business in the last two years; and if he will make a statement.

Elizabeth Truss: holding answer 14 January 2013
	In December 2011 the Department received a report from the Information Commissioner on the findings of its good practice visit in October 2011, which included consideration of the use of personal email and the scope of the Freedom of Information Act 2000. The Information Commissioner published those findings on 15 December 2011.
	The Information Commissioner and his staff regularly exchange correspondence with Departmental officials in the course of relevant Freedom of Information Act and Data Protection Act case work. The Department wrote to the Information Commissioner in September 2012 after withdrawing from an appeal relating to the use of private e-mail accounts. As that letter sets out the Department's position on this subject, I am placing a copy in the House Libraries.

GCSE

Chris Skidmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many and what proportion of students obtained six A*-C grades at GCSE level including English, mathematics, science, a foreign language, history or geography and either (a) music, (b) religious studies and (c) design and technology in each year since 1997.

Elizabeth Truss: The English Baccalaureate was introduced by the Department for Education (DFE) as an additional measure in the performance tables and first published in January 2011. The measure recognises where pupils have secured a C grade or better across a core of academic subjects: English, mathematics, history or geography, a language and two sciences (representing a total of six A*-C grades).
	The following table estimates the effect of adding a sixth component (but a seventh A*-C grade requirement) which can be satisfied by music or religious studies or design and technology. Further information can be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	
		
			 National performance of pupils(1) attaining seven GCSE A* to C grades in English, mathematics, two sciences, a language, history or geography and music or religious studies or design and technology, Year: 1996/97, 2007/08 to 2011/12(2,3), Coverage: England 
			  Number of pupils in cohort(1) Number of pupils attaining these seven GCSE A*-C grades Percentage of students attaining these seven GCSE A*-C grades 
			 1996/97(4,5) 586,766 64,120 10.9 
			     
			 2007/08(5) 635,089 64,670 9.9 
			 2008/09(5) 634,496 65,159 10.3 
			 2009/10 639,263 65,425 10.2 
		
	
	
		
			 2010/11 627,093 72,252 11.5 
			 2011/12 623,440 74,420 11.9 
			 (1) Number of pupils on roll aged 15 at the start of the academic year (1996/97) or at the end of Key Stage 4 (2007/08 to 2011/12). (2) Includes attempts and achievements by these pupils in previous academic years. (3 )Figures for 2011/12 are provisional, all other figures are final. (4 )Due to the differences in the qualifications offered in 1996/97 and the change in the cohort of pupils measured from those aged 15 at the start of the academic year to those at the end of Key Stage 4 these figures are not exactly comparable with those published for the other years. Please note the caveats for the following components that make up the 1996/97 figures: a. English: does not include where only an English Literature GCSE has been entered b. Mathematics: does not include entries for Additional Maths GCSEs c. Science: The pupils had to achieve grade A*-C in either: i. two of biology, chemistry and physics (provided all three GCSEs were entered); or ii. Double Award science. d. Humanities: History, Geography or Ancient History. e. Languages: a modern foreign language; Latin, Greek or other classical languages. Further information on the English Baccalaureate is available from our website here: http://www.education.gov.uk/schools/teachingandlearning/qualifications/englishbac/a0075975/the-english-baccalaureate (5 )Figures for 1996/97, 2007/08 and 2008/09 exclude iGCSEs as these were not included in the School Performance Tables at this time.

Government Procurement Card

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many (a) staff and (b) special advisers in his Department have use of a Government Procurement Card.

Elizabeth Truss: The Department for Education can confirm that 88 staff have use of a Government Procurement Card. No cards are held by special advisers.

National Curriculum Tests

Andrew Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for Education pursuant to the answer of 12 November 2012, Official Report, column 51W, on national curriculum tests, how many and what proportion of the pupils who did not attempt (a) English, (b) mathematics and (c) either English or mathematics GCSE were (i) eligible for free school meals, (ii) in care, (iii) attending a pupil referral unit, (iv) in the criminal justice system, (v) boys and (vi) members of each ethnic group.

Elizabeth Truss: The following table provides information for pupils who did not have a statement of special educational needs who did not attempt GCSE English, mathematics and either English or mathematics at the end of key stage 4. As requested breakdowns have been provided for pupils who are:
	eligible for free school meals;
	in care;
	boys;
	members of each ethnic group.
	Figures in the previous answer included state-funded mainstream schools only, and therefore excluded pupils on roll in pupil referral units. Statistics on the attainment of pupils in alternative provision (AP) including pupil referral units in 2011 were published in Tables P1 to P4 of the Statistical First Release (SFR) ‘GCSE and Equivalent Results in England, 2010/11 (Revised)’. This is available from our website at:
	http://www.education.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s001056/index.shtml
	Table P1 provides statistics on the percentage of pupils at the end of key stage 4 achieving level 1 (A*-C) skills in English and mathematics. Table P2 provides the number of entries and grades in specific subjects. We plan to publish similar statistics for 2012 in late January 2013.
	Attainment data for pupils in the criminal justice system are not available. The Youth Justice Board (YJB)—sponsored by the Ministry of Justice—hold data on young people in the criminal justice system. Data are not available to the Department for Education to link to attainment statistics.
	
		
			 National information for pupils(1) with no statements of special educational needs(2) not attempting GCSE English or mathematics at the end of key stage 4. Year: 2010/11 (Final). Coverage: England (state-funded mainstream schools only)(3) 
			  Number of pupils at the end of key stage 4 with no statement of SEN Percentage of pupils at the end of key stage 4 with no statement of SEN 
			 Total number of pupils 545,610 — 
			 Of which:   
			 Did not attempt GCSE English 7,308 1.3 
			 Of which:   
			 Eligible for FSM 2,113 0.4 
			 Looked after for at least six months between the ages of four and 15(4) 337 0.1 
			 Boys 4,391 0.8 
			 White 5,898 1.1 
			 Mixed 244 0.0 
			 Asian 479 0.1 
			 Black 316 0.1 
			 Chinese 41 0.0 
			 Other 243 0.0 
			 Unclassified ethnicity 87 0.0 
			    
			 Did not attempt GCSE mathematics 4,367 0.8 
			 Of which:   
			 Eligible for FSM 1,293 0.2 
			 Looked after for at least six months between the ages of four and 15(4) 194 0.0 
			 Boys 2,422 0.4 
			 White 3,645 0.7 
			 Mixed 164 0.0 
			 Asian 221 0.0 
			 Black 182 0.0 
			 Chinese 7 0.0 
			 Other 94 0.0 
			 Unclassified ethnicity 54 0.0 
			    
			 Did not attempt either GCSE English or mathematics 3,409 0.6 
			 Of which:   
			 Eligible for FSM 992 0.2 
			 Looked after for at least six months between the ages of four and 15(4) 166 0.0 
			 Boys 1,991 0.4 
			 White 2,849 0.5 
			 Mixed 134 0.0 
		
	
	
		
			 Asian 159 0.0 
			 Black 140 0.0 
			 Chinese 7 0.0 
			 Other 79 0.0 
			 Unclassified ethnicity 41 0.0 
			 (1) Includes attempts and achievements by these pupils in previous academic years. (2) Pupils with no statement of SEN include: School Action, School Action+, no identified SEN and unclassified pupils. (3) As pupil referral units (PRUs) are not mainstream schools a breakdown of the numbers above for pupils in PRUs is not applicable. (4) Pupils in all settings who at some point in the year to 31 March 2011 were looked after and had been looked after continuously for at least six months (note that this does not necessarily need to all be during that year). Includes pupils aged four to 15 on 31 August 2010 as collected on the 2010-11 Looked after Children Return from Local Authorities (SSDA903). Source: 2011 Secondary School Performance Tables data (post-errata)

Press: Subscriptions

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Education pursuant to the answer of 30 October 2012, Official Report, column 204W, on subscriptions, how much his Department has spent on subscriptions since May 2010.

Elizabeth Truss: The Department for Education subscribes to the full range of national newspapers, as well as a range of journals and magazines which cover education and children's issues. In 2011/12, the most recent financial year for which full figures are available, the Department spent £4,920 on newspapers, periodicals and trade publications. This figure has been consistent for each of the past three years.

Primary Education: Teachers

Andrew Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for Education pursuant to the answer of 8 November 2012, Official Report, column 693W, on primary education: teachers, in which ward each such school is situated; and how many and what proportion of (a) boys and (b) girls living in each such ward attend each such school.

Elizabeth Truss: holding answer 10 January 2013
	The information requested has been placed in the House Libraries.

Procurement

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many procurement officers are currently employed by his Department.

Elizabeth Truss: The Department for Education currently employs 43 procurement officers. In May 2010 the Department employed an FTE of 132.72 in procurement roles. This is not directly comparable as the Department has been restructured.

Publications

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how often his Department produces a staff magazine.

Elizabeth Truss: The Department for Education does not produce a staff magazine.

Schools: Textbooks

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what recent assessment his Department has made of the suitability of content of textbooks used in schools.

Elizabeth Truss: High-quality teaching and learning is crucial to improving pupil outcomes and this is greatly assisted by the availability and informed use of high-quality materials and resources, including textbooks. The Government is introducing a new National Curriculum in England from September 2014 which will focus on essential knowledge and will be as rigorous as the curricula used in the most successful jurisdictions around the world. Textbooks and other teaching materials will need to reflect the new National Curriculum content.
	We know that educational publishers are preparing to meet the challenge of developing new materials for the National Curriculum, and we have been keeping them updated as the review of the National Curriculum has progressed. They will be looking to produce new materials as soon as possible, so that schools can draw on them as they prepare to teach the new National Curriculum from 2014.

Special Educational Needs

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will place in the Library a copy of any equality impact assessments produced by (a) his Department and (b) the Education Funding Agency to accompany changes in funding methodology for post-16 high needs provision.

David Laws: holding answer 9 January 2013
	An equalities impact assessment was prepared and published in March 2012, when we consulted on the high needs funding reforms alongside other aspects of school funding reform. This assessment was updated and the final version was published in June 2012 when the arrangements for 2013-14 were finalised. I am making arrangements for both documents to be placed in the House Libraries.

Teachers: Pensions

Sam Gyimah: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what plans his Department has to include teachers' pensions in converted academies in the relevant local authority's pension pool.

David Laws: The Teachers' Pension Scheme (TPS) is an unfunded occupational pension scheme, which is managed centrally by the Secretary of State. As an unfunded scheme, there is no actual fund, instead the Department maintains a single notional fund for all members and employers, which is used to set the contribution rate. The TPS is entirely separate from the Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) and, as part of the reform of public sector pension schemes, these different funding methods will be maintained. There are therefore no plans to include teachers' pensions for converted academies in local authorities' pension pools, and the level of pension the teachers receive should be unaffected by the academy conversion.

ENERGY AND CLIMATE CHANGE

Coal Fired Power Stations

Graham Stringer: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what information he has on the projected net change in global megawattage of power generation by coal-fired generation between (a) 2005 and 2010 and (b) 2010 and 2020.

John Hayes: DECC does not hold or produce data on global power capacity or generation from particular sources. Statistics on the worldwide energy mix are produced by the International Energy Agency and are publicly available.

Energy

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what mechanisms there are within Government planning policy to enable (a) energy generation and (b) associated transmission and distribution projects to be considered in conjunction.

Gregory Barker: The Planning Act 2008 regime allows for applications for development consent for new generating stations above 50 megawatts (MW) and associated electricity connections to be contained in a single application, or in separate applications submitted in tandem which have been prepared in an integrated way or separately and at different times. The general principles for these arrangements are set out in the Overarching Energy National Policy Statement EN-1 paragraph 4.9.2. (URN 11D/ 711, July 2011).
	The Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, the right hon. Member for Kingston and Surbiton (Mr Davey), may also consider pre-Planning Act applications for generating stations above 50 MW under section 36 of the Electricity Act 1989 and associated overhead lines made under section 37 of the 1989 Act at the same time.

Energy: Billing

Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what steps his Department is taking to simplify energy tariffs for all consumers.

Gregory Barker: We are committed to introducing legislation in the Energy Bill to help ensure consumers are on the best tariff for them; this will include measures relating to the simplification of tariffs. We set out our proposals for simplifying energy tariffs in the discussion document ‘Ensuring a better deal for energy consumers’:
	http://www.decc.gov.uk/en/content/cms/consultations/better_deal/better_deal.aspx
	Our consultation on these proposals closed on 4 January and we are currently considering the responses.

Fuel Poverty

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what recent estimate he has made of the number of households in fuel poverty in (a) Haltemprice and Howden constituency, (b) East Yorkshire and (c) England.

Gregory Barker: In 2010, the latest year for which data are available, the number of households in fuel poverty was estimated to be:
	(a) 6,100 in Haltemprice and Howden Constituency
	(b) 45,100 in the East Riding of Yorkshire
	(c) 3.5 million in England
	Fuel poverty statistics for 2011 are due to be released in May 2013.

Wind Power: Carmarthenshire

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the answer of 14 January 2013, Official Report, column 485W, on wind power: Carmarthenshire, which Minister will be making the final decision on the proposed Brechfa West wind farm in north Carmarthenshire.

Gregory Barker: The Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, the right hon. Member for Kingston and Surbiton (Mr Davey), has delegated powers for determining planning consent applications for energy infrastructure to me. The decision on the application for development consent for the proposed Brechfa West wind farm would, therefore, fall within my portfolio. While I envisage taking the decision in this case, in the event that was not possible then the decision could be made by the Secretary of State himself or by another Minister within the Department.

COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Bed and Breakfast Accommodation

Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps he is taking to enforce the requirement that local authorities do not keep families with children in bed and breakfast accommodation for more than six weeks.

Mark Prisk: Legislation remains in place that prohibits the use of bed and breakfast for families unless in an emergency, and then for no more than six weeks.
	In the recent Ministerial Working Group Report on Homelessness we called on local housing authorities to deliver on 10 challenges—these included a commitment not to use bed and breakfast accommodation for families.
	I recently held a roundtable with London boroughs with high homelessness numbers, including families in bed and breakfast over six weeks and other forms of temporary accommodation, to discuss the issues involved and the action they are taking to resolve them.

Government Procurement Card

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many (a) staff and (b) special advisers in his Department have use of a Government Procurement Card.

Brandon Lewis: My Department currently has 26 staff who have use of a Government Procurement Card. None are allocated to special advisers. By contrast, there were 210 card holders in May 2010.

Homelessness

Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what guidance he has issued to local authorities regarding the circumstances under which they can discharge their homelessness duties into the private rented sector outside (a) their local authority area and (b) their region.

Mark Prisk: Through the Localism Act, we are giving local authorities the freedom to make better use of good-quality private sector accommodation that can provide suitable accommodation for households accepted as homeless.
	The law requires that, as far as reasonably practicable, authorities should place homeless households within their own district.
	The new homelessness Suitability Order came into force on 9 November 2012. The order, which applies to temporary accommodation and private rented accommodation used to end the homelessness duty, requires councils to consider the impact a change in location would have on households, including disruption to employment, education and caring responsibilities.
	To ensure local authorities understand the new requirements we have also published supplementary guidance (to which local authorities must, by law, have regard) setting out the factors they must take into account when considering the location of accommodation.
	Under the homelessness legislation, any accommodation used as temporary or settled accommodation (whether in the private or social sector) must be “suitable” for the applicant and his or her household. This includes affordability, size, condition, accessibility and location. The legislation requires them to take account of local connections to the area such as work and the need for children to continue in a local school if they are studying for GCSEs.

Housing

Peter Luff: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will make it his policy to exclude income to district councils from the New Homes Bonus from his measurement of a council's spending power.

Brandon Lewis: holding answer 17 January 2013
	The New Homes Bonus is central funding to local government. Councils can spend this grant funding however they wish.
	As we announced at the provisional local government settlement on 19 December we are planning to include district councils' New Homes Bonus income in spending power calculations as this is an important source of revenue for councils. This reflects the growing importance of New Homes Bonus grant, which has increased from a total payment of £199 million in 2011-12 to a provisional total payment of £661 million in 2013-14 and is set to increase further over the next three financial years.

HOUSE OF COMMONS COMMISSION

Poultry

Mark Pritchard: To ask the hon. Member for Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross, representing the House of Commons Commission, if he will ensure that all poultry products used by the House are sourced from free range providers by April 2013.

John Thurso: The House of Commons Catering Service sources all of its poultry from producers that demonstrate high levels of animal welfare under the accredited farm assurance "Red Tractor" scheme. Providing free range poultry would necessitate a large increase in prices and therefore there are currently no plans to source free-range poultry for venues across the Estate.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Offenders: Passports

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  in what proportion of cases the police confiscate the passport of a suspect or criminal; and under what circumstances passports are confiscated;
	(2)  how many people with previous convictions on bail have had their passports returned to them following confiscation by the police in the latest period for which figures are available;
	(3)  how many criminals or suspects whose passports are held by the police have absconded from the country in the latest period for which figures are available.

Damian Green: When granting bail before and after charge, the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 empowers the police to impose one or more conditions if it appears to be necessary, including to ensure that a person answers their bail and does not abscond. When there is a risk that a person may leave the UK and not return, the police may therefore require the person to surrender their passport as a condition of their release on bail.
	The police may also seize a passport if it is believed necessary for use as evidence in a criminal investigation.
	The information requested in relation to cases where passports have been surrendered is not collected centrally and therefore is not held by the Department.

JUSTICE

Prisons: Drugs

Nick de Bois: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what recent estimate he has made of the number and proportion of prisoners using (a) cannabis, (b) psilocybe mushrooms, (c) phencyclidine, (d) opium, (e) morphine diacetate, (f) MDMA, (g) morphine, (h) methamphetamine, (i) methadone, (j) lysergic acid diethylamide, (k) hydrocodone and (l) cocaine.

Jeremy Wright: The extent of drug use among prisoners is measured via the random mandatory drug testing programme.
	Where prisoners fail tests following the use of (d) Opium, (e) morphine diacetate or (g) Morphine, their sample will be recorded positive for “opiates”. Where they fail tests following the use of (f) MDMA or (h) Methamphetamine, their sample will be recorded positive for “amphetamines”.
	The mandatory drug testing programme does not include tests for (b) psilocybe mushrooms, (c) phencyclidine, (j) Lysergic acid diethylamide and (k) Hydrocodone. These substances are not tested for because there is little indication that they are misused in prisons.
	The following table shows the number of positive random mandatory drug tests for cannabis; opiates; cocaine, methadone and amphetamines in prisons across England and Wales for the 2011-12 financial year. 60,448 tests were undertaken.
	
		
			  Positives 
			  Number Percentage 
			 Cannabis 2,055 3.4 
			 Opiates 870 1.4 
			 Cocaine 67 0.1 
			 Methadone 165 0.3 
			 Amphetamines 20 0.0 
		
	
	It is not possible to determine from the centrally held data which specific opiates or amphetamines prisoners have used. This information is however provided to prisons when individual results are received from the testing laboratory.
	The sum of the number of positives for each drug does not equate to the total number of positive samples, as some samples may have been positive for more than one drug. The number of positive samples for each drug does not equate to the number of prisoners that tested positive, as some prisoners may have tested positive more than once.
	All figures have been drawn from live administrative data systems which may be amended at any time. Although care is taken when processing and analysing the returns, the detail collected is subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large scale recording system. The data are not subject to audit.

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

Communications Data Bill (Draft)

Julian Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what representations were made about the Government's draft Communications Data Bill to the UK delegation or in public session at the recent World Conference on International Telecommunications in Dubai; and by which nations such representations were made.

Edward Vaizey: No such representations were made.

Gambling

Simon Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what recent discussions her Department has had with the Responsible Gambling Trust on problem gambling and fixed-odds betting machines; and if she will make a statement.

Hugh Robertson: My Department has had a number of discussions with the Responsible Gambling Trust about problem gambling and gaming machines and we have welcomed its recent announcement of a major research project into gaming machines, including category B2 machines, which should provide a much better understanding of problem gambling behaviour. In addition, the Government has launched a consultation calling for current evidence on any link between problem gambling and B2 machines.

Regeneration: Morecambe

David Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what funding her Department has made available for the regeneration of Morecambe sea front; and if she will make a statement.

Edward Vaizey: The Heritage Lottery Fund, through its Townscape Heritage Initiative, has funded two projects in Morecambe that impact on the regeneration of the seafront, totalling £2,531,700, as set out in the following table. In total there have been 44 awards from the Heritage Lottery Funds across the constituency, totalling £5.75 million.
	
		
			  Project HLF funding (£) 
			 2000-01 Scheme involving the Promenade Gardens and Marine Road, including work on the iconic Midland Hotel 1,583,700 
			 2008 “A View for Eric”—which aims to regenerate the Morecambe Conservation Area—currently in development 948,000

DEFENCE

Afghanistan

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what information his Department holds on the size of the (a) Afghan National Army, (b) Afghan National Police and (c) Afghan local police; and what part the UK plays in their recruitment and training.

Andrew Robathan: holding answer 14 January 2013
	In October 2012 International Security Assistance Forces (ISAF) reported that the Afghan National Army (ANA) and Afghan National Police (ANP) had reached their surge targets of 187,000 and 157,000 respectively. These figures include all personnel who have been recruited, but not all have yet been inducted at the training centres. The most recent figures published by ISAF show that at 20 November 2012 the ANA stood at an inducted/fielded force of 174,645 and 148,499. By the end of February 2013 all recruited personnel are expected to have been inducted into their respective Service with all personnel fully trained, equipped and fielded by the end of 2013. Nationally, the Afghan Local Police (ALP) currently stand at approximately 18,500 at the end of December 2012, with approximately 600 of these at the UK mentored sites in central Helmand.
	The NATO Training Mission-Afghanistan (NTM-A) brings together national training efforts in Afghanistan under one single umbrella. The NTM-A is responsible for generating and sustaining the Afghan National Security Forces and oversees their training and equipping. The UK is one of a number of nations who contribute personnel to the NTM-A.
	In Task Force Helmand, specific responsibility for the development of the fielded ANSF is primarily provided by the UK Brigade Advisory Group (BAG) and the Police Mentoring and Advisory Group (PMAG). As transition continues, the level at which we mentor the ANA and ANP is lifting so that by the end of 2013 we no longer expect to routinely mentor the ANSF below Brigade level. In tandem, the Afghan Uniformed Police are also taking greater responsibility for the training and recruitment of the ALP. The UK's role in both has therefore decreased and we now have limited involvement with their recruitment and a reduced role in their training.

Armed Forces: Discounts

Stephen McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps his Department has taken to advertise the introduction of the Defence Discount Card.

Mark Francois: The Government website
	www.gov.uk
	and Ministry of Defence (MOD) intranet website carry details about the new Defence Privilege Card following its December launch and subsequent coverage in the national press. MOD internal announcements were cascaded to the armed forces and a range of articles in service and veteran publications about the Defence Privilege Card are being published or are scheduled to be published in the coming weeks.
	Promotion of the Defence Discount Service and Privilege Card on a national and local level will continue throughout 2013 via our websites, in service and veteran publications, and in promotional visits to military establishments. The scheme also has its own website:
	www.defencediscountservice.co.uk/
	on which further details can be found.

Armed Forces: Education

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what proportion of new recruits to the Army at (a) soldier and (b) officer level previously attended state school.

Andrew Robathan: The proportion of soldier recruits that had previously attended a state school is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	Including the most recent intake of officer cadets to the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, in January 2013, 53.5% of the UK educated intake over the last 12 months came from state schools. While the remainder will have come from independent schools, it is possible that some will have attended a state school at an earlier point in their education.

Armed Forces: Pay

Susan Elan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the hourly rate of pay is for a rifleman earning £18,841.72 a year in the armed forces.

Andrew Robathan: Members of the armed forces have a commitment to service worldwide and their remuneration package is structured accordingly. The level of pay for service personnel is set by the Government based on the recommendations of the Armed Forces' Pay Review Body (AFPRB). The 2012 AFPRB report states that average working hours for junior ranks, which for the Army is private to corporal across all services were 45.5 hours per week during 2010-11, which equates to an hourly base pay rate of £7.28. On a comparable basis, a soldier earning around £18,842 a year would equate to an hourly base pay rate of £7.96.
	It is inevitable that when soldiers are on operations they will work longer than average hours. However, where eligible, soldiers will receive the operational allowance and the longer separation allowance. The operational allowance is £5,281.64 for a six month tour.
	The total remuneration package for service personnel—which includes free medical care, an excellent pension, subsidised accommodation to acknowledge the lack of choice over where a service person can choose to live, and a range of allowances, such as operational allowance and, where applicable, longer separation allowance, on top of basic salary—is generally a very good one.

Armed Forces: Sexual Offences

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 25 October 2012, Official Report, column 979W, on armed forces: sexual offences, how many claims for compensation by (a) serving armed forces personnel and (b) veterans as a result of (i) sexual assault and (ii) rape took place while they were serving in the armed forces his Department has received in each of the last 10 years; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Francois: The number of compensation claims made under the headings of sexual abuse, rape and sexual assault in each of the last 10 years is as follows:
	
		
			  Number 
			 2002 1 
			 2003 5 
			 2004 3 
			 2005 2 
			 2006 2 
			 2007 1 
			 2008 1 
			 2009 6 
			 2010 1 
			 2011 3 
			 2012 1 
		
	
	The Department's contracted claims handlers do not record information on whether an individual is still serving or has already left the armed forces when they make a claim.

Army

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what regulations there are on facial hair for personnel in the Army.

Mark Francois: The regulation governing facial hair for personnel in the Army is laid down in Army General Administrative Instruction as follows:
	“Hair is to be well cut and trimmed, except where authority has been granted otherwise on religious grounds. Style and colour (if not natural) is not to be of an exaggerated nature. Moustaches are to be trimmed and not below the line of the lower lip. Beards and whiskers may be worn only with authority, and this will usually be granted only on medical or religious grounds, or where tradition permits. The appearance of the beard and whiskers is to be neat and tidy. Sideburns are not to descend below the mid point of the ear and are to be trimmed horizontally.”

Depleted Uranium

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether the Life Extension Programme that the CHARM-3 propellant charge is subject to will involve test firing at (a) the Eskmeals VJ Battery Firing Butt in Cumbria and (b) the Dundrennan Range in Dumfries and Galloway.

Philip Dunne: A site for testing the propellant charge for the CHARM 3 Round has not yet been selected. A suitable trial site will be selected at the appropriate stage in the Life Extension Programme.

Depleted Uranium

Julian Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the long-term public health and environmental effects of firing depleted uranium rounds during conflict and peacetime test firing.

Andrew Robathan: Our own environmental monitoring and that carried out by the UN Environment Programme in areas where DU munitions have been used has confirmed the presence of DU at levels far too low to have any detectable health impact. The results of battlefield and range monitoring and the collection and analysis of urine samples from veterans and range workers support this view.

Early Warning Systems

John Glen: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when the Crowsnest early warning system will come into service; and if it will be fully operational and in service before the first Queen Elizabeth class aircraft carrier enters service.

Philip Dunne: Crowsnest has not yet passed its main investment decision point, and it would therefore be inappropriate to comment on its specific in-service date.
	The broad planning assumption, however, is that entry to service of Crowsnest is expected in time for the Initial Operational Capability for Carrier Strike, scheduled for 2020.

Mali

Crispin Blunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many personnel will be deployed to (a) France and (b) Mali in support of the two CI7s operating in support of French forces in Mali.

Andrew Robathan: holding answer 17 January 2013
	The UK has provided two C-17s to provide logistical support to the French. There are currently approximately 100 UK personnel deployed to France, including air and logistical support crew for the C-17s. In addition, there is currently a small team based in Bamako providing further logistical support.
	Numbers will vary depending on the operational requirements at any time.

Merlin Helicopters

Alison Seabeck: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  how many Merlin Mk3 helicopters are to be (a) fully marinised and (b) earmarked for partial modification;
	(2)  when he expects the (a) partially modified Merlin Mk3s and (b) fully marinised version of the Merlin Mk3 to be in service;
	(3)  what the estimated difference in cost is between a partially modified Merlin Mk3 and a fully marinised version.

Philip Dunne: The Merlin Life Sustainment Programme is currently in its Assessment Phase. This is considering options to enhance the Merlin Mk3/3A aircraft's ability to support amphibious operations, including the number of platforms to be upgraded and the nature of the upgrade.

Pay

Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many employees of his Department receive a salary higher than that of the (a) Prime Minister, (b) Secretary of State for Defence and (c) Minister for the Armed Forces.

Mark Francois: The number of employees in my Department that receive a salary higher than the Prime Minister, Secretary of State for Defence and Minister for the Armed Forces is as follows:
	
		
			 Salary bands based on the current salaries of the Prime Minister, Secretary of State for Defence and Minister for the Armed Forces 
			  FY 2009-10 FY 2010-11 FY 2011-12 FY 2012-13 
			 Salary band No. of employees in salary band of which: No. of employees in salary band of which: No. of employees in salary band of which: No. of employees in salary band of which+ 
			 £142,500+ 40 20 military 30 20 military 30 20 military 30 20 military 
			          
			 £134,565 to £142,499 20 20 military; <5 civilian 10 10 military; <5 civilian 20 20 military; <5 civilian 10 10 military; <5 civilian 
			          
			 £98,740 to £134,564 920 880 military 1,100 1,060 military 1,090 1,070 military 1,040 1,020 military 
			 Note: The figures in the table have been rounded to the nearest 10.

Pipelines: Scotland

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what Government Pipelines and Storage System facilities are in Scotland; and how many miles of this pipeline system are in Scotland.

Philip Dunne: There are two stretches of the Government Pipeline and Storage System (GPSS) in Scotland. One runs from Linkswood GPSS Depot to RAF Leuchars. The other runs from Inverness GPSS Depot to RAF Kinloss and RAF Lossiemouth.
	The pipeline length from Inverness via RAF Kinloss to RAF Lossiemouth is 40.6 miles and from Linkswood to RAF Leuchars is five miles.

Pipelines: Scotland

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what estimate he has made of the value of the Government Pipelines and Storage System in each constituent part of the UK.

Philip Dunne: The Government Pipeline and Storage System is located in England and Scotland. No estimation has been made of the sale value by country.

Spain

Oliver Colvile: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs regarding Spanish fishing boats entering Gibraltarian waters.

Andrew Robathan: Ministry of Defence and Foreign and Commonwealth Office Ministers are in regular contact on such matters.

Syria

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent discussions he has had with other G8 Defence Ministers on the security situation in Syria.

Andrew Robathan: The UK's objective for Syria is clear: an end to the violence and a political transition to a more democratic Syria. To that end, the Ministry of Defence is supporting the diplomatic efforts led by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. The Secretary of State for Defence, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond), has regular discussions with G8 counterparts, both bilaterally and in multilateral meetings, on a range of issues, including the security situation in Syria.

WORK AND PENSIONS

English Language: Education

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will place in the Library the guidance issued by his Department to jobcentres for improving the take-up of English courses.

Mark Hoban: Jobcentre Plus advisers provide personalised support to claimants based on their individual circumstances. This includes encouraging people to take advantage of English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) courses where appropriate. This encouragement would form a routine part of an adviser discussion about a range of suitable provision to improve job readiness. The Skills Guide provides details on how to refer to and encourage attendance at a range of skills courses, including ESOL.

Health and Safety Regulation Review

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps he has taken in response to Professor Ragnar Löfstedt's review of health and safety legislation.

Mark Hoban: The most recent Progress Report on the government's reform of the health and safety system in Great Britain, including the recommendations in Professor Löfstedt's review of health and safety legislation, was published on the DWP website in June 2012.
	Professor Löfstedt is currently undertaking an independent one year on assessment of the implementation of his recommendations which I anticipate will be published at the end of January 2013.

Housing Benefit

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will amend regulations on benefit levels for under-occupancy to allow people of non-retirement age with chronic life-threatening conditions to be considered on the same terms as those of retirement age in respect of their continued occupation of rented property.

Steve Webb: We considered a number of exemptions during formulation of the under-occupation policy but concluded that specific exemptions for different groups can be an inefficient and a complex way of targeting resources. We believe that Discretionary Housing Payments offer a better solution as local decision makers are best placed to make decisions on individual circumstances.
	As part of the under-occupation measure we are adding £30 million a year to the Discretionary Housing Payment fund from April, £25 million of which is aimed at supporting disabled claimants living in adapted properties.

Housing Benefit

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether local housing allowance will be uprated by 1 per cent in (a) April 2014 and (b) April 2015, or whether it will be uprated to the 30th percentile of local rents for the year to September of the previous year, if that is lower than 1 per cent; and if he will make a statement.

Steve Webb: In April 2014 and April 2015, any uprating increases to local housing allowance rates will be capped at 1%.
	However, in line with the existing policy, rates will be set at the 30th percentile of local rents if this is lower than the previous rate increased by 1%.

Pensions

Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the number of people (a) within the UK, (b) within the Republic of Ireland and (c) overseas, (i) within the EU and (ii) outside the EU who will have access to the proposed flat-rate pension.

Steve Webb: Information on the number of individuals who will have access to the single-tier pension split by country is not available.

Private Rented Housing: Greater London

Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of changes in the number of private rented properties available to households in London in receipt of local housing allowance.

Steve Webb: Our reforms to local housing allowance in April 2011 placed caps on the maximum amount that the state would support.
	Following these changes we estimate that, in most areas outside of the most expensive parts of London, around 30% of accommodation is affordable within local housing allowance rates.
	The Department has commissioned an independent review of the changes to local housing allowance. The next stage of the review is due to be published early this year.

Procurement

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the monetary value was of contracts awarded by his Department to (a) management consultancies and (b) IT companies in (i) 2010-11 and (ii) 2011-12; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Hoban: The values provided are for new contracts awarded and for the entire length of the contract.
	(a) The monetary value of contracts awarded by my Department to management consultancies in 2010-11 was £2.84 million and in 2011-12 was £7.68 million. Most of the increase can be attributed to one-off but planned new contract of approximately £4.5 million to support the Child Maintenance Commission's change programme.
	(b) The monetary value of contracts awarded by DWP to IT companies in (i) 2010-11 was £0.16 million, and (ii) in 2011-12 was £428.4 million. The increase can be attributed to re-letting of major application development and desktop contracts.

Redundancy

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many posts have been declared redundant by each of his Department's Executive agencies and non-departmental public bodies by each such body in each year since 1999; and what the cost of those redundancies has been.

Mark Hoban: The following tables provide the information requested which includes compensation paid through the use of voluntary exit schemes, voluntary redundancy and compulsory redundancy, for every DWP Executive agency or non-departmental body that declared any post redundant from 1999 to 2012.
	As the National Employment Savings Trust (NEST) was created in 2010 I have not been able to provide any data prior to this.
	The information requested from HSE is not available from 1999 to 2005.
	In all cases, prior to a civil service role ending, employees are given the opportunity for redeployment before a paid exit is considered.
	
		
			   January to December 
			   1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 
			 National Employment Savings Trust (NEST) Post (1)— (1)— (1)— (1)— (1)— (1)— (1)— 
			  Cost (£) (1)— (1)— (1)— (1)— (1)— (1)— (1)— 
			          
			 Health and Safety Executive Post (2)— (2)— (2)— (2)— (2)— (2)— (2)— 
			  Cost (£) (2)— (2)— (2)— (2)— (2)— (2)— (2)— 
			          
			 Independent Living Fund Post 0 0 0 0 0 0 (3)— 
			  Cost (£) — — — — — — 9,847.50 
			          
			 Remploy Post 101 321 247 224 120 64 95 
			  Cost (£) 551,000 4,478,000 3,215,000 2,152,000 1,092,000 445,000 830,000 
			          
			 Pension Protection Fund Post 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			  Cost (£) — — — — — — — 
			          
			 The Pensions Regulator Post 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			  Cost (£) — — — — — — — 
			          
			 The Pensions Advisory Service Post 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			  Cost (£) — — — — — — — 
		
	
	
		
			   January to December 
			   2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 
			 National Employment Savings Trust (NEST) Post (1)— (1)— (1)— (1)— 0 0 12 
			  Cost (£) (1)— (1)— (1)— (1)— — — 18,943.75 
			          
			 Health and Safety Executive Post (3)— (3)— 12 62 (3)— 209 26 
			  Cost (£) 145,000 167,436 1,051,684 6,262,719 140,433 8,944,332 644,521.46 
			          
			 Independent Living Fund Post 0 (3)— 0 0 0 45 0 
			  Cost (£) — 5,075 — — — 616,338 — 
			          
			 Remploy Post 83 37 1,951 76 51 720 1,411 
			  Cost (£) 461,000 595,000 45,585,000 746,000 640,000 18,430,000 26,231,000 
			          
			 Pension Protection Fund Post 0 0 0 0 5 0 (3)— 
			  Cost (£) — — — — 149,318 — 23,728 
		
	
	
		
			 The Pensions Regulator Post 5 (3)— 7 12 8 (3)— 9 
			  Cost (£) 397,000 397,000 183,125 1,032,093 91,505 171,800 185,719 
			          
			 The Pensions Advisory Service Post 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 
			  Cost (£) — — — — 235,192 — — 
			 (1) NEST did not exist in this period (2) Data not available (3) Indicates that there are less than five posts

Social Security Benefits

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government on the application of the new burdens doctrine to the introduction of the household benefit cap.

Mark Hoban: In line with the Government's New Burdens Doctrine, the Department and the Department for Communities and Local Government have agreed the process for assessing new administrative burdens on local authorities arising from our welfare reforms, including any that might arise from the introduction of the benefit cap.
	Officials in my Department have been working closely with the New Burdens team in DCLG and HMT to develop the assessments.

Social Security Benefits: Fraud

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the level of detected benefit fraud was in each of the last four years; and if he will estimate what the level of undetected fraud was in each of those years.

Mark Hoban: The value of detected benefit fraud for each of the last four years is as follows:
	
		
			 Current classification fraud 
			 Financial year Value of new debt (£ million) 
			 2008-09 75 
			 2009-10 75 
			 2010-11 89 
			 2011-12 52 
			 Total 290 
			 Source: Debt Accounting. This does not form official statistics but is derived from Management Information. 
		
	
	These figures do not include detected housing benefit and council tax benefit fraud identified by local authorities. That information is not available.
	The Department is unable to provide an estimate for the level of undetected fraud for each of these years. Although we do produce estimates of the total amount of fraud overpaid each year, the statistics for detected fraud use a stricter definition of fraud which means that the two sets of figures are not comparable.

Social Security Benefits: Fraud

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people have been (a) investigated and (b) prosecuted for benefit fraud in each of the last five years.

Mark Hoban: The following table shows the number of investigations closed for the last four years (1 April to 31 March) for fraud against benefits administered by the Department for Work and Pensions and investigated by the Department's Fraud Investigation Service (FIS).
	
		
			  Number 
			 2008-09 128,513 
			 2009-10 150,146 
			 2010-11 154,819 
			 2011-12 165,387 
		
	
	The information in the format above is not available for the fiscal year 2007-08.
	The following table shows the number of convictions for each year requested of those cases investigated by the FIS.
	
		
			  Number 
			 2007-08 7,745 
			 2008-09 6,700 
			 2009-10 7,040 
			 2010-11 8,598 
			 2011-12 9,861

Social Security Benefits: Overpayments

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what his latest estimate is of the amount of overpayments made owing to official error for each social security benefit paid by his Department in each of the last four years.

Mark Hoban: The latest estimate of the amounts of overpayments made owing to official error for each social security benefit paid by the Department is shown in the following table:
	
		
			  2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 
			  Expend. (£billion) Official error (£million) Expend. (£billion) Official error (£million) Expend. (£billion) Official error (£million) Expend. (£billion) Official error (£million) 
			 Income support 8.8 130 8.5 120 7.9 50 7.2 50 
		
	
	
		
			 Jobseeker’s allowance 2.9 70 4.8 80 4.5 100 5.0 50 
			 Pension credit 7.8 160 8.2 190 8.3 160 8.2 170 
			 Housing benefit 17.1 100 20.0 140 21.4 90 22.8 130 
			 Incapacity benefit 6.6 120 6.2 100 5.6 70 5.0 60 
			 Disability living allowance 10.6 80 11.5 90 12.0 90 12.6 100 
			 State pension 61.6 30 66.9 40 69.8 30 74.2 60 
			 Carer’s allowance 1.4 10 1.5 10 1.6 10 1.8 10 
			 Interdependencies(1) 0.0 20 0.0 20 0.0 20 0.0 20 
			 Others(2,3) 19.0 130 20.4 170 22.2 150 22.5 150 
			 Total 135.7 0.8 148.0 1.0 153.4 0.8 159.2 0.8 
			 (1) Interdependencies is an estimate of the knock-on effects of disability living allowance (DLA) overpayments on caring and disability premiums on income-related benefits, which depend on the rate of DLA in payment. (2) Social fund (SF) estimates are included in the “Others” category. SF official error estimates are derived from a continuous measurement exercise which covered the period April 2011 to March 2012. It is estimated that 4.0% of expenditure was overpaid due to official error corresponding to £8.7 million of net 2011-12 expenditure (which was in total £220 million). The confidence intervals surrounding this estimate were [3.2%-4.7%] or [£7 million to £10 million]. (3) “Others” includes council tax benefit and unreviewed benefits (unreviewed benefits are Christmas bonus, employment support allowance, maternity allowance, statutory sick pay, statutory maternity pay, industrial disablement benefit, industrial death benefit, other industrial injuries benefits, attendance allowance, specialised vehicle allowance, winter fuel payments, social fund, discretionary housing payments, over-75 TV licence, job grant, new deals, small benefits, new enterprise allowance, severe disability allowance, cold weather payments, widow's benefit/bereavement benefit, return-to-work credit, in-work credit and state pension transfers). These benefits have never been subject to a specific review as they tend to have relatively low expenditure, which means that it is not cost-effective to undertake a review. For these benefits the estimates are based on assumptions about the likely level of error. Notes:1. Expenditure rounded to the nearest £0.1 billion. 2. Official error rounded to the nearest £l0 million. 3. Estimates may not sum due to rounding. Source: DWP National Statistics: Fraud and Error in the Benefit System: 2011/12 Estimates released 29 November.

Temporary Accommodation

Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when full details of the temporary accommodation subsidy regime, which will begin in April 2013, will be announced.

Steve Webb: There will be no changes to how the temporary accommodation subsidy regime operates from April 2013. The current rules that govern how much subsidy is payable in temporary accommodation cases will continue in housing benefit until cases migrate to universal credit.
	On 24 October 2012 the Department for Work and Pensions published the G10/2012 Housing Benefit/Council Tax Benefit Bulletin which gave full details on how the temporary accommodation subsidy regime will continue to operate from April 2013.

Universal Credit

Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of how many people will be lifted out of poverty by universal credit.

Mark Hoban: I refer the right hon. Member to the written answer the Under-Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, my hon. Friend the Member for Wirral West (Esther McVey), gave my hon. Friend the Member for Kingswood (Chris Skidmore), on 15 January 2013, Official Report, columns 715-17W.

Universal Credit

John Glen: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions with reference to the draft Universal Credit, Personal Independence Payment and Working Age Benefits (Claims and Payments) Regulations 2012, when his Department plans to provide a definition in law of the term vulnerable tenant for the purposes of determining eligibility for direct payments to landlords of the housing element of universal credit.

Steve Webb: We are not seeking to provide a definition in law of 'vulnerable tenants’ for the purposes of administering UC. Any attempt to do so would risk some people with needs failing outside of any definitions and thus not receiving the help that they may need. We accept that for a minority of claimants alternative payment arrangements may be required and this may include the payment of their housing costs (rent) direct to the landlord. This alternative payment arrangement will be considered on a case by case basis and assessed on their individual merits, and would be time-limited and delivered in conjunction with appropriate budgeting support to ensure claimants make a successful transition over time to monthly budgeting wherever possible.

Universal Credit

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the preparedness of the computer system that will administer universal credit; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Hoban: The IT System to support Phase 1 (Pathfinder) in April 2013 has entered its final stages of integration testing, which ensures all of the key elements of the IT work together.
	Given the significant amount of tests which need to be run, and with limited time remaining to complete those tests, Ministers are receiving regular and comprehensive updates on progress.
	Preparations for implementing the IT service are well under way and are following tried and tested DWP processes.
	We remain confident that we will have sufficient IT testing complete to allow us to go live with our limited pathfinder service in April 2013.

Universal Credit

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to his answer of 14 January 2013, Official Report, column 471W, on universal credit, which organisation or organisations he intends will look at new claimants' identity verification documents; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Hoban: In the early stages of the introduction of universal credit, the Department's staff will look at identity verification documents for new claimants.

CABINET OFFICE

Employment

Stephen Timms: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many (a) white people and (b) people from all other ethnic groups are (i) in the workforce and (ii) unemployed.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Glen Watson, dated January 2013
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking how many (a) white people (b) people from all other ethnic groups are (i) in the workforce and (ii) unemployed. 138003
	The table provided shows the information requested. Estimates of economic activity by ethnicity are derived from the Labour Force Survey (LFS). As with any sample survey, estimates from the LFS are subject to a margin of uncertainty. Indications of the quality of the estimates provided are given in the table.
	
		
			 People aged 16 and over in the labour force by ethnic group: Three month period July to September 2012: United Kingdom, not seasonally adjusted 
			 Thousand 
			  White(1) All other ethnic groups(2) Total(3) 
			 Employed *26,619 *3,065 *29,692 
			 Unemployed *2,134 **467 *2,601 
			 Total in the labour force(4) *28,753 *3,532 *32,293 
			 (1) White includes respondents in England, Wales and Scotland identifying themselves as ‘White-Gypsy or Irish Traveller’ and respondents in Scotland identifying themselves as ‘White-Polish’. (2) Includes respondents in Northern Ireland identifying themselves as ‘Irish Traveller’ and respondents in all UK countries identifying themselves as ‘Arab’, mixed/multiple ethnic groups, Indian. Pakistani, Bangladeshi, Chinese, black/African/Caribbean/black British and other ethnic groups. (3) Includes people who have not stated their ethnic group. (4) Also referred to as the total number of people who are ‘economically active’; that is, the number in employment plus those unemployed. Guide to Quality: The Coefficient of Variation (CV) indicates the quality of an estimate, the smaller the CV value the higher the quality. The true value is likely to lie within +/- twice the CV—for example, for an estimate of 200 with a CV of 5% we would expect the population total to be within the range 180-220. Key: * 0 = CV<5%—Statistical Robustness: Estimates are considered precise ** 5 = CV <10%—Statistical Robustness: Estimates are considered reasonably precise *** 10 = CV <20%—Statistical Robustness: Estimates are considered acceptable **** CV ? 20%—Statistical Robustness: Estimates are considered too unreliable for practical purposes Source: Labour Force Survey

Employment

Stephen Timms: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office for what reason people seeking employment whose job search support is contracted out to private or voluntary providers are classified as in employment in the labour market statistics; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Hurd: The information requested fails within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Glen Watson, dated January 2013
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking the Minister for what reason people seeking employment whose job search support is contracted out to private or voluntary providers are classified as in employment in the labour market statistics; and if he will make a statement. (138017)
	Estimates of the number of people on government supported training and employment programmes, who are classified as in employment, are derived from the Labour Force Survey. The classification is based on the information reported by respondents regarding the type of programme they are on and their activity in the survey reference week whilst on that programme. The definition of employment is consistent with the International Labour Organisation definition which includes people on government programmes if they are contributing to producing output.
	Participants who report that their activity consisted of any form of work, work experience or work-related training are classified as in employment. Participants who report other kinds of activity are mainly classified as either unemployed or economically inactive, depending on the extent of their job search activity and availability for work.
	A small number of participants are classified as being in employment because they report having done paid work in addition to being on the programme.

Employment

David Davis: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many people were employed in (a) part-time and (b) full-time work in (i) Haltemprice and Howden constituency, (ii) East Yorkshire and (iii) the UK in (A) 2009, (B) 2010, (C) 2011 and (D) 2012.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Glen Watson, dated January 2013
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics (ONS), i have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking how many people were employed in (a) part-time and (b) full-time work in (i) Haltemprice and Howden constituency, (ii) East Yorkshire and (iii) the UK in (A) 2009, (B) 2010, (C) 2011 and (D) 2012. (138290)
	The ONS compiles Labour Market Statistics for areas below the UK following International Labour Organisation (ILO) definitions using the Annual Population Survey (APS).
	The table shows the number of people who were employed full-time or part-time according to survey responses during the 12 month period ending September 2012, the latest available period, and the 12 month periods ending in December from 2009 to 2011.
	As with any sample survey, estimates from the APS are subject to a margin of uncertainty. A guide to the quality of the estimates is given in the table.
	National and local area estimates for many labour market statistics, including employment, unemployment and claimant count are available on the NOMIS website at:
	http://www.nomisweb.co.uk
	
		
			 Number of people employed full-time or part time 
			 Thousand 
			  Haltemprice and Howden East Riding of Yorkshire United Kingdom 
			 12 months ending Full-time Part-time Full-time Part-time Full-time Part-time 
			 December 2009 26 13 112 48 21,141 7,601 
			 December 2010 29 14 112 46 21,033 7,752 
			 December 2011 30 11 115 45 21,090 7,811 
			 September 2012(1) **33 ***15 **110 **49 *21,151 *7,917 
			 (1) Coefficients of Variation have been calculated for the latest period as an indication of the quality of the estimates. See Guide to Quality below. Guide to Quality: The Coefficient of Variation (CV) indicates the quality of an estimate, the smaller the CV value the higher the quality. The true value is likely to lie within +/- twice the CV—for example, for an estimate of 200 with a CV of 5% we would expect the population total to be within the range 180-220. Key: * 0 = CV<5%—Statistical Robustness: Estimates are considered precise ** 5 = CV <10%—Statistical Robustness: Estimates are considered reasonably precise *** 10 = CV <20%—Statistical Robustness: Estimates are considered acceptable **** CV ? 20%—Statistical Robustness: Estimates are considered too unreliable for practical purposes Source: Annual Population Survey

Employment: Scotland

Margaret Curran: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what estimate he has made of the number of people in Scotland in each (a) age group and (b) administrative location who have no experience of full or part-time work.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Glen Watson, dated January 2013
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics (ONS), I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking for the number of people in Scotland in each (a) age group and (b) administrative location who have no experience of full or part-time work. (138008)
	ONS compiles Labour Market Statistics for areas below the UK following International Labour Organisation (ILO) definitions using the Annual Population Survey (APS).
	The tables show estimates of the number of people who have never had a paid job or place on a government work scheme, based on survey responses during the period October 2011 to September 2012.
	As with any sample survey, estimates from the APS are subject to a margin of uncertainty. A guide to the quality of the estimates is given in the tables.
	National and local area estimates for many labour market statistics, including employment, unemployment and claimant count are available on the NOMIS website at
	http://www.nomisweb.co.uk
	
		
			 Table 1: Number of people in Scotland who have never worked(1) by age group, October 2011 to September 2012 
			 Aged Thousand(2) 
			 16 to 64 *261 
			 16 to 17 *81 
			 18 to 24 *121 
			 25 to 34 **30 
			 35 to 49 ***19 
			 50 to 64 ***9 
			 65 and older ***9 
			 (1) Number of people, according to survey responses during the period October 2011 to September 2012, who had never been in a paid job or scheme. (2) Coefficients of Variation have been calculated as an indication of the quality of the estimates. See Guide to Quality below. Guide to Quality: The Coefficient of Variation (CV) indicates the quality of an estimate, the smaller the CV value the higher the quality. The true value is likely to lie within +/- twice the CV—for example, for an estimate of 200 with a CV of %. We would expect the population total to be within the range 180-220. Key: * 0 = CV<5%—Statistical Robustness: Estimates are considered precise ** 5 = CV <10%—Statistical Robustness: Estimates are considered reasonably precise *** 10 = CV <20%—Statistical Robustness: Estimates are considered acceptable **** CV =20%—Statistical Robustness: Estimates are considered too unreliable for practical purposes CV = Coefficient of Variation Source: Annual Population Survey 
		
	
	
		
			 Table 2: Number of people in Scotland who have never worked(1) by local authority, October 2011 to September 2012 
			  Thousand(2) 
			 Aberdeen City ***10 
			 Aberdeenshire ****— 
			 Angus ***5 
			 Argyll and Bute ***3 
			 Clackmannanshire ****— 
			 Dumfries and Galloway ***6 
			 Dundee City ***10 
			 East Ayrshire ***6 
			 East Dunbartonshire ***6 
		
	
	
		
			 East Lothian ***5 
			 East Renfrewshire ***5 
			 Edinburgh, City of ***41 
			 Na h-Eileanan an Iar ****— 
			 Falkirk ***5 
			 Fife ***14 
			 Glasgow City ***55 
			 Highland ***5 
			 Inverclyde ***4 
			 Midlothian ****— 
			 Moray ***3 
			 North Ayrshire ***7 
			 North Lanarkshire ***14 
			 Orkney Islands ****— 
			 Perth and Kinross ***5 
			 Renfrewshire ***8 
			 Scottish Borders ***5 
			 Shetland Islands ****— 
			 South Ayrshire ***5 
			 South Lanarkshire ***12 
			 Stirling ***6 
			 West Dunbartonshire ***4 
			 West Lothian ***6 
			 (1) Number of people, according to survey responses during the period October 2011 to September 2012, who had never been in a paid job or scheme. (2) Coefficients of Variation have been calculated as an indication of the quality of the estimates. See Guide to Quality below. Guide to Quality: The Coefficient of Variation (CV) indicates the quality of an estimate, the smaller the CV value the higher the quality. The true value is likely to lie within +/- twice the CV—for example, for an estimate of 200 with a CV of %. We would expect the population total to be within the range 180-220. Key: * 0 = CV<5%—Statistical Robustness: Estimates are considered precise ** 5 = CV <10%—Statistical Robustness: Estimates are considered reasonably precise *** 10 = CV <20%—Statistical Robustness: Estimates are considered acceptable **** CV =20%—Statistical Robustness: Estimates are considered too unreliable for practical purposes CV = Coefficient of Variation Source: Annual Population Survey

Internet

David Davis: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what recent estimate he has made of the number of people with access to the internet in (a) Haltemprice and Howden constituency, (b) East Yorkshire and (c) England.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Glen Watson, dated 16 January 2013
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question concerning what estimate has been made of the number of people with access to the Internet in (a) Haltemprice and Howden constituency, (b) East Yorkshire and (c) England. (138291)
	Estimates of internet use by adults aged 16 years and over are published quarterly by the Office for National Statistics and are available on our website. These estimates are derived from the Labour Force Survey (LFS) and have United Kingdom (UK) coverage. The latest available estimate (in respect of 2012 Q3) of the number of adults who have ever used the Internet in East Riding of Yorkshire is 241,000. The estimate for England is 36.1 million. Estimates at parliamentary constituency level are not available.
	Estimates of household Internet access are published on an annual basis by the Office for National Statistics and are also available on our website. These estimates are derived from the Opinions and Lifestyle Survey. The latest available estimate (in respect of 2012) of the number of households in Yorkshire and The Humber with access to the Internet is 1.8 million. The estimate for England is 18.2 million. It is not possible, from this survey, to produce accurate estimates of household Internet access at a lower level of geography than region.

Job Creation: East Yorkshire

David Davis: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office if he will estimate the number of jobs created in (a) Haltemprice and Howden constituency and (b) East Yorkshire that have been either (i) part-time or (ii) temporary contracts since May 2010.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Glen Watson, dated January 2013
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking for the number of jobs created in (a) Haltemprice and Howden constituency and (b) East Yorkshire that have been either (i) part-time or (ii) temporary contracts since May 2010. (138289)
	ONS compiles Labour Market Statistics following International Labour Organisation (ILO) definitions for areas smaller than the UK from the Annual Population Survey. (APS).
	Information regarding jobs created is not available. As an alternative we have provided seasonally adjusted estimates of the number of people who were employed part-time or employed in jobs that were not permanent according to survey responses during the 12 month periods ending June 2010, the survey period closest to May 2010, and June 2012, along with the net change between these two periods. This net change provides a reasonable approximation of the number of jobs created since May 2010.
	As with any sample survey, estimates from the APS are subject to a margin of uncertainty.
	National and local area estimates for many labour market statistics, including employment, unemployment and claimant count are available on the NOMIS website at:
	http://www.nomisweb.co.uk
	
		
			 Table 1: Number of people employed part-time(1) 
			 Thousand 
			  Level  
			  12 months ending  
			  June 2010 June 2012 Change between 12 month periods ending June 2010 and June 2012 
			 Haltemprice and Howden 15 13 -1 
			 East Riding of Yorkshire 48 47 -1 
			 (1) Part-time in main job. Note: All estimates are independently rounded. Source: Annual Population Survey

TREASURY

Infrastructure

John Healey: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 9 January 2013, Official Report, column 310W, on infrastructure, what the nature of the risk is which requires that information cannot be disclosed to Parliament on the projects which have been guaranteed under the UK Guarantee Scheme.

Sajid Javid: A robust assessment, approvals process and negotiations are under way on the most effective form of guarantee for the prequalified projects.
	Disclosing information at this stage will present a risk to the Government's negotiating position resulting in less effective application of public resources.
	No project has been guaranteed under the UK Guarantee Scheme at this stage.

Infrastructure

John Healey: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 9 January 2013, Official Report, column 310W, on infrastructure, what information is reported to Parliament, and where, on the extent of public funds committed to infrastructure projects guaranteed under the UK Guarantee Scheme.

Sajid Javid: HM Treasury will adhere to the reporting requirements under section 16 of the Infrastructure (Financial Assistance) Act 2012.

Infrastructure

John Healey: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 9 January 2013, Official Report, column 310W, on infrastructure, who the potential participants are in negotiations who would potentially be advantaged to the detriment of the Government by the release of information on infrastructure projects guaranteed under the UK Guarantee Scheme.

Sajid Javid: The form and terms of a guarantee provided to a project will be determined on a case-by-case basis following a robust assessment and approvals process. Disclosure of commercial positions that the Government has previously agreed will undermine future negotiations and result in less effective use of public funds.

Infrastructure

John Healey: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 9 January 2013, Official Report, column 310W, on infrastructure, what the nature of the prejudice to the process of ongoing policy formulation is that would arise from the release of information on projects guaranteed under the UK Guarantee Scheme.

Sajid Javid: Infrastructure projects being considered for guarantees under the UK Guarantees Scheme are commercially confidential and exempt from disclosures. Releasing confidential information will not only breach disclosure agreements but will also negatively impact relations with key industry stakeholders who contribute to policy formulation.

Infrastructure

John Healey: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 9 January 2013, Official Report, column 310W, on infrastructure, whether (a) the National Audit Office, (b) the Committee of Public Accounts and (c) the Treasury Office have access on request to information on the nature of liabilities to public funds accepted under the UK Guarantee Scheme.

Sajid Javid: After the signing of each guarantee (the point at which the contingent liability will be deemed to have been assumed), Treasury will notify Parliament in the form of a written ministerial statement. The information on total contingent liability will be declared in the Whole of the Government Accounts.

Clothing: Industry

Julian Huppert: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  how many employers in the fashion industry were prosecuted for not paying interns in 2012;
	(2)  how many employers in the fashion industry were warned for non-payment of the minimum wage in 2012;
	(3)  what estimate he has made of how many employers in the fashion industry that were warned for non-payment of the minimum wage in 2012 now pay their interns.

Sajid Javid: There have been no prosecutions, in 2012, of employers in the fashion industry for criminal offences related to the national minimum wage.
	HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) does not record specific data on the fashion industry, as a trade sector, and therefore cannot estimate how many interns are now being paid as a consequence of HMRC interventions.

Emigration

Nick de Bois: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent assessment he has made of the effect on the UK economy of emigration from the UK by those aged (a) 15 to 24, (b) 25 to 44, (c) 45 to 60 and (d) 60 plus; and if he will make a statement.

Sajid Javid: The Office for National Statistics (ONS) produce estimates of migration by age on an annual basis. These estimates of emigration show that in 2011 86,000 persons aged 15-24, 201,000 aged 25-44, 38,000 aged 45-59/64 and 9,000 aged 60/65 and over emigrated from the UK. For all age groups emigration from the UK was less than immigration to the UK resulting in positive net migration into the UK for all age groups (table 1).
	
		
			 Table 1: International migration 
			 Thousand 
			 Age group Emigration from UK Immigration to UK Net migration 
			 15-24 86 243 +158 
			 25-44 201 245 +44 
			 45-59/64 38 40 +2 
			 60/65+ 9 11 +2 
			 Source: ONS.

EU Budget

William Bain: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the net per capita abatement derived from the EU budget by taxpayers in (a) the UK, (b) England and (c) Scotland in the financial year (a) 2009-10, (b) 2010-11 and (c) 2011-12.

Greg Clark: The Exchequer makes all UK contributions, less the abatement, to the EU budget. UK contributions are not divisible across EU budget headings and are not attributed to devolved Administrations.
	Details of the UK's contributions to the EU since 1995—including gross and net contributions, receipts and the abatement—are published in the annual European Union Finances documents (European Community Finances before 2010). The current and past editions of these documents, from 2000 to 2012, are available in the House Library and on the Treasury's public website:
	http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/int_eu_statefraud.htm

EU Budget

William Bain: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the receipts in cash terms and per capita to (a) the UK and (b) Scotland from EU structural and agricultural funds in the financial year (i) 2009-10, (ii) 2010-11 and (iii) 2011-12; and if he will estimate future fund receipts for (A) 2012-13, (B) 2013-14 and (C) 2014-15 in the next two financial years.

Greg Clark: Details of UK public sector receipts for the years 2009-10 to 2011-12 can be found in Table 3E, page 18, of European Union Finances 2012 (Cm 8405), a copy of which can be found in the House Library or at:
	http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/int_eu_statefraud.htm
	Forecasts for UK public sector receipts from 2012-13 to 2016-17 can be found in Table 3F of the same document.
	Detailed data on Scotland's receipts from the EU budget are not centrally held.

EU Budget

William Bain: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate (a) the gross contributions, (b) gross contributions less the UK abatement, (c) gross contributions less the public sector receipts, (d) net contributions and (e) net per capita contributions made towards the EU budget by (i) the UK, (ii) England, (iii) Scotland with an applicable per capita portion of the abatement and (iv) Scotland without an applicable per capita portion of the abatement in the financial year (A) 2009-10, (B) 2010-11 and (C) 2011-12; and if he will estimate future fund contributions for (1) 2012-13, (2) 2013-14 and (3) 2014-15.

Greg Clark: The Exchequer makes all UK contributions minus the abatement to the EU Budget. UK contributions are not divisible across EU budget headings and are not attributed to devolved Administrations.
	Details of UK contributions and public sector receipts for the years 2009-10 to 2011-12 can be found in Table 3C, page 17, of European Union Finances 2012 (Cm 8405), a copy of which can be found in the House Library or at:
	http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/int_eu_statefraud.htm
	The Office for Budget Responsibility's latest forecast of UK contributions to the EU Budget over the period 2012-13 to 2017-18 was published in December 2012 and can be found in Table 2.19 of Economic and fiscal outlook supplementary fiscal tables at:
	http://budgetresponsibility.independent.gov.uk/economic-and-fiscal-outlook-december-2012/

EU Budget

William Bain: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the net contribution to the EU budget made by taxpayers in Scotland (a) with the UK abatement and (b) in the event that the UK abatement was to be disapplied.

Greg Clark: The Exchequer makes all UK contributions minus the abatement to the EU Budget. UK contributions are not divisible across EU budget headings and are not attributed to devolved Administrations.
	Details of UK net contributions to the EU Budget over the period 2006-07 to 2011-12 can be found in Table 3C, page 17, of European Union Finances 2012 (Cm 8405), a copy of which can be found in the House Library or at:
	http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/int_eu_statefraud.htm
	The Office for Budget Responsibility's latest forecast of UK contributions to the EU Budget over the period 2012-13 to 2017-18 was published in December 2012 and can be found in Table 2.19 of Economic and fiscal outlook supplementary fiscal tables at:
	http://budgetresponsibility.independent.gov.uk/economic-and-fiscal-outlook-december-2012/

National Insurance Credits

Christopher Leslie: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  if he will review the procedure for triggering national insurance pension credits through the child benefit application process for parents who are affected by the higher income child benefit charge; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  when he plans to commence the provision of information on the process for applying for national insurance pension credits for new parents in bounty packs given following the birth of a child; and if he will make a statement.

Sajid Javid: National Insurance credits which protect a person's future entitlement to basic state pension and the state second pension will remain available for those claiming child benefit for a child under 12.
	Parents and carers who get national insurance credits linked to them claiming child benefit will not lose them on the basis of their household income even if they choose not to receive the actual payments or their partner has to pay the new tax charge.
	The introduction of the tax charge will not affect a person's right to claim child benefit.
	Parents and carers have two options to safeguard their state pension, which is made clear on the new child benefit claim form and accompanying notes made available in the Bounty Packs from November 2012:
	they can claim child benefit receive the payments and, if liable, they or their partner can pay the new tax charge; or
	they can claim child benefit to establish entitlement to the credits but choose not to receive the actual payments; this means that neither they nor their partner will be liable to pay the new tax charge.
	HMRC has also at the same time, introduced in the Bounty Pack, a flyer explaining about the new tax charge and what people should do to protect their state pension.
	Clear guidance is also available on the HMRC website accessible at:
	www.hmrc.gov.uk/childbenefitcharge

National Insurance Credits

Christopher Leslie: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the number of new parents who will not have been informed about the continuing need to apply for child benefit in order to receive national insurance pension credits even when such parents are subject to the higher income child benefit charge.

Sajid Javid: New parents receive a child benefit claim form in the Bounty packs provided by their midwife, which includes information about the high income child benefit charge. The new form with this information has been in Bounty packs since November 2012. In addition, HM Revenue and Customs has included a flyer explaining how the high income child benefit charge works and what people should do to protect their state pension.
	HM Revenue and Customs estimates that there will be no impact on the take-up of national insurance credits following the introduction of the high income child benefit charge, even where people choose to stop payment of child benefit.

Occupied Territories

Richard Burden: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent actions his Department has taken to comply with the European Council conclusion of 16 June 2005 on the abolition of financial and tax incentives, subsidies and exemptions to organisations benefiting Israeli settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory and their inhabitants; and if he will make a statement.

Sajid Javid: This is a matter for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, which advises that the European Council conclusion of 16 June 2005 called on Israel to halt settlement activities in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, including the abolition of financial and tax incentives and direct and indirect subsidies, and the withdrawal of exemptions benefiting the settlements and their inhabitants. This conclusion did not place obligations upon individual EU member states, but rather, confirmed Europe's political commitment to the resolution of the middle east conflict. It also exhorted all parties to the middle east peace process to continue to take positive steps to ensure peace, and comply with obligations under international law. The British Government's position on Israeli settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territories is clear: they are illegal under international law, an obstacle to peace and make a two-state solution, with Jerusalem as a shared capital, harder to achieve. The UK routinely condemns decisions taken to build settlement units, calling for these decisions to be reversed, and for Israel to cease all settlement activity.

Pensions: Tax Allowances

William Bain: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  how much pension tax relief in the basic, higher and additional rates of income tax has cost the Exchequer following claims by people in (a) the United Kingdom, (b) each nation and administrative region of the United Kingdom and (c) each parliamentary constituency; and how many people have claimed each such rate of relief in each such area in each of the last three financial years;
	(2)  if he will estimate how many people in each parliamentary constituency receive pension tax relief at the rate of 50 per cent on their pension savings; and what the total liability to the Exchequer of the cost of this relief is in each such constituency;
	(3)  if he will make an assessment of the difference in the level of tax receipts foregone by providing pension tax relief at the rate of 50 per cent for higher rate taxpayers and limiting that relief to 20 per cent for all taxpayers in each (a) region and nation and (b) parliamentary constituency;
	(4)  what estimate he has made of the number of recipients, and the cost to the Exchequer in each case, of providing tax relief on pension contributions at the (a) basic rate, (b) higher rate and (c) additional rate of income tax in each of the last three financial years; and what that forecast is for each financial year until 2015-16.

Sajid Javid: Estimates of the total tax cost of pension relief can be found in Table PEN6 on the HMRC website at the following link:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/pensions/pen6.xls
	Estimates of the number of people receiving income tax deductions for pension contributions and the value of deductions by different income distributions can be found in Table 3.8 on the HMRC website at the following link:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/statistics/personal-incomes/tables3-1_3-10.pdf
	Estimates of the number of people receiving relief on pension contributions and the value of contributions by region and parliamentary constituency are not available.

Public Finance: Voluntary Contributions

Stephen Mosley: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether there is a process by which taxpayers can make voluntary financial donations to the Exchequer.

Sajid Javid: From time to time, members of the public make voluntary financial donations to the Exchequer. The majority of these donations to the Treasury has been in the form of a cheque made payable to ‘The Accountant—Her Majesty's Treasury’.
	Other Government Departments receive similar donations as well.

Public Houses: Greater Manchester

Hazel Blears: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many public houses closed in (a) Salford and Eccles constituency and (b) Greater Manchester in 2011-12.

Brandon Lewis: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Department for Communities and Local Government.
	My Department does not hold this information.

Taxation: Self-assessment

Stephen Mosley: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  how many income tax payers (a) were owed by the Exchequer and (b) owed to the Exchequer following receipt of self-assessment tax returns in each of the last five years;
	(2)  how much in total was refunded to income tax payers following receipt of self-assessment tax returns in each of the last five years.

David Gauke: Self Assessment is not exclusive to income tax payers and covers a variety of incomes, capital gains, allowances and reliefs. Information related solely to those who pay or who are due a repayment in respect of income tax following submission of a Self Assessment tax return is available only at a disproportionate cost.

Working Tax Credit

Stephen Timms: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what proportion of (a) all working age households and (b) households with children were in receipt of tax credits in each of the last five years.

Sajid Javid: This information is not yet available for 2011-12. The proportion of (a) all working age households and (b) households with children in receipt of tax credits in the preceding four years is available, and is provided in the following table.
	
		
			 Percentage 
			  Proporti=on of working age families in receipt of tax credits Proportion of families with children in receipt of tax credits 
			 2010-11 26 74 
			 2009-10 26 75 
			 2008-09 25 76 
			 2007-08 25 76 
			 Note: Figures are rounded to the nearest 1%.

BUSINESS, INNOVATION AND SKILLS

Apprentices

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many apprenticeships have been created in (a) Haltemprice and Howden constituency, (b) East Yorkshire and (c) England since the start of the Government's apprenticeship scheme.

Matthew Hancock: Information on the number of apprenticeship starts by geography is published in a supplementary table to a quarterly Statistical First Release (SFR):
	http://www.thedataservice.org.uk/NR/rdonlyres/87E140BF-810D-4C48-A5C1-9C8B84B46117/0/October2012_Apprenticeship_Starts.xls
	http://www.thedataservice.org.uk/statistics/statisticalfirstrelease/sfr_supplementary_tables/Apprenticeship_sfr_supplementary_tables/

Apprentices: Birmingham

Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many apprenticeship places in Birmingham Hall Green constituency there were in (a) 2010, (b) 2011 and (c) 2012 to date.

Matthew Hancock: Information on the number of apprenticeship starts by geography are published in supplementary tables to a quarterly Statistical First Release (SFR), last published on 11 October 2012:
	http://www.thedataservice.org.uk/NR/rdonlyres/87E140BF-810D-4C48-A5C1-9C8B84B46117/0/October2012_Apprenticeship_Starts.xls
	http://www.thedataservice.org.uk/statistics/statisticalfirstrelease/sfr_supplementary_tables/Apprenticeship_sfr_supplementary_tables/

Clothing: Industry

Julian Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether his Department is taking steps to prevent unpaid internships in the fashion industry.

Jo Swinson: As part of a targeted enforcement campaign aimed at interns in the fashion sector, the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills and HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) have been working with key stakeholders such as the British Fashion Council to raise awareness of when interns are entitled to the national minimum wage (NMW). We have also been working with Intern Aware to promote the Pay and Work Rights Helpline and calls from interns who are working for nothing or for “expenses only” are being fast-tracked to HMRC enforcement officers for investigation.
	Interns who are concerned that they are entitled to the NMW but are not being paid it should make a confidential complaint by calling the Pay and Work Rights Helpline on 0800 917 2368.

Conditions of Employment

Katy Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent analysis his Department has carried out on the use of zero hour contracts; and if he will make a statement.

Jo Swinson: The Office for National Statistics collects data on types of flexible working including zero hour contracts as part of the Labour Force Survey. In the second quarter of 2012, there were 117,000 people on zero hours contracts. This is in comparison to 106,000 in the second quarter of 2011. However, in both cases zero hours contract employees make up around 0.5% of the total in employment.
	The Government wants to ensure that the UK retains a flexible labour market that gives choice to businesses and people in the type of contract they want to use. Zero hour contracts is just one type of contract that is used in the labour market, others include: part-time, fixed-term, permanent or full-time.

Conditions of Employment

Katy Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will introduce measures to ensure a minimum hours threshold for employment contracts.

Jo Swinson: In the UK labour market, both individuals and employers are free to decide the amount of hours that are needed for a specific job. The Government considers that the minimum number of hours a person works is best decided in the contract between the person and their employer so that it suits the needs of the company and the person.

Credit

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to the answer of 14 January 2013, Official Report, column 578W, on credit: interest rate, what regulatory powers are available to stop an over-concentration of pay day loan companies, betting shops, pawn brokers and cash converters in communities.

Jo Swinson: The Government keeps under review the various forms of regulation that exist to ensure public protection in relation to these types of activities, but we are not aware of conclusive evidence to suggest that the number of such businesses in an area increases any risks to the public. Local authorities also have the power to remove permitted development rights where they allow for change of use through an article 4 direction.

Investment

Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how much of the £775 million set aside for investment by his Department in the period April 2012 to March 2013 has been (a) allocated and (b) provided to successful recipients to spend; and if he will list those projects selected for investment.

Michael Fallon: The Government has allocated £3 billion of funding for use by the UK Green Investment Bank in making investments in green infrastructure. An initial £775 million of this allocated funding became available from April 2012. A further £1 billion will become available from April 2013 and £1.225 billion will be available from April 2014. To date, transactions have been signed, and commitments made for £406 million. These transactions are as follows:
	£80 million: allocated to two fund managers; Foresight (£50 million) and Greensphere (£30 million) to invest in smaller waste projects.
	£100 million: allocated to two fund managers; Equitix (£50 million) and Sustainable Capital Development Limited (£50 million) to invest in smaller non-domestic energy efficiency projects.
	£45.6 million: senior debt to Walney Offshore Wind Farm, located off Cumbria.
	£100 million: senior debt to Drax Power Station in Selby to convert units from coal to biomass.
	£50 million: allocated to another energy efficiency fund—details to be announced soon.
	£30.4 million: senior debt to finance the construction of a waste treatment plant at Wakefield, Yorkshire.
	As is usual with investment in infrastructure, there will be a lag between commitments and actual disbursements as funds are disbursed as required to meet construction costs. Construction activity can take up to three years. To date some £48.06 million has been disbursed.

Meetings

Jim Sheridan: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills 
	(1)  how many meetings he and officials of his Department had with Google in (a) 2010, (b) 2011 and (c) 2012;
	(2)  how many meetings he and officials of his Department had with Amazon in (a) 2010, (b) 2011 and (c) 2012;
	(3)  how many meetings he and officials of his Department had with Oracle in (a) 2010, (b) 2011 and (c) 2012;
	(4)  how many meetings he and officials of his Department had with Xerox in (a) 2010, (b) 2011 and (c) 2012;
	(5)  how many meetings he and officials of his Department had with Dell CSC in (a) 2010, (b) 2011 and (c) 2012;
	(6)  how many meetings he and officials of his Department had with Symantec in (a) 2010, (b) 2011 and (c) 2012.

Jo Swinson: Details of meetings the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, my right hon. Friend the Member for Twickenham (Vince Cable), has had with external organisations are published on a quarterly basis at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-for-business-innovation-skills/series/bis-quarterly-publications-april-to-june-2012#this-series
	Officials in the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills meet frequently with representatives from companies across all business sectors. Information on the number of meetings held with these companies is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Music: Shops

David Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps he is taking to support high street music retailers.

Michael Fallon: The structure of retail in the UK is rapidly changing, with businesses responding to the way consumers want to shop. UK consumers are extremely savvy and now have many choices as to where and how to shop. Music retail is one area where this is particularly apparent. Over three quarters of music and video sales were online in 2012. Customers are also choosing to download or stream music instead of buying CDs.
	I am obviously aware of the disappointing news about HMV. Administration is a worrying time for employees, their families, and for localities. In the event of redundancies, support is available from Jobcentre Plus. Its Rapid Response Service aims to address the impact of job losses on workers and on the local community by helping people move into new jobs as quickly as possible without the need to claim welfare benefits.
	The Government does however recognise the vital role retail plays in national and local economies. This was why it was chosen to be one of the first sectors to be the subject of a Growth Review, and was the first theme chosen for the Red Tape Challenge. These initiatives identified a number of barriers to successful retail performance and growth, which Government is addressing.
	The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) has been working closely with industry to develop the BIS Retail Strategy (BRS). The strategy focuses on where there is potential for government to support retail growth in the short term at international, European, national and local levels.
	We will be working closely with the first Retail Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) Pathfinder to identify what can be done at local level to support retail; making the regulatory environment less burdensome by improving the enforcement regime; and developing a new approach to supporting the most successful retailers to invest overseas.
	The Government also recognises the importance of the high street, and published its response to the Mary Portas Review last year. We have accepted nearly all of Mary's recommendations (27 out of 28) and will be going even further by offering a “Portas-Plus” package, designed to revive ailing high streets.
	We have also delivered a number of measures to support high streets, which include:
	Doubling small business rate relief (extended by a year in the autumn statement), and making it easier for small firms to claim. Over half a million businesses in England are expected to benefit, with about one third of a million of businesses paying no rates.
	Focusing retail development in town centres and making it easier to convert empty offices into residential use.
	Allowing councils to provide more town centre parking spaces.
	Smaller retailers, including those in the music sector are also able to benefit from the same range of support offered by BIS to help other small and medium businesses to start and thrive: enabling better access to both debt and equity finance; reducing red tape; enabling SMEs to access more easily public procurement opportunities; and making sure that the support we provide SMEs is delivered in the most effective and efficient way possible.

Post Offices: Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency

Marcus Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment his Department has made of the effect on rural post offices of the awarding of the DVLA Front Office Counter Service contract to the Post Office.

Jo Swinson: The DVLA Front Office Counter Service contract requires Post Office Ltd to provide access to most DVLA services from approximately 4,600 post office branches, while also ensuring that up to 99.9% of the population live within three miles of a post office branch offering DVLA services in urban areas and 93.3% within five miles in rural areas. As a result there will be a large number of branches in rural areas that will offer these services. Driving licence renewals will be available in a smaller subset of the network.

Post Offices: Photographs

Marcus Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills 
	(1)  what representations he has received on whether there has been loss of revenue for sub-post offices resulting from the loss of handling and delivering printed ID pictures;
	(2)  what assessment his Department has made of the effect of Cogent equipment installation at post offices to take digital photos for driving licences on the private sector photographic industry.

Jo Swinson: The DVLA announced on 13 November 2012 that it was awarding its Front Office Counter Services contract to Post Office Ltd. Winning this contract provides a major source of revenue for the Post Office. This followed a full procurement process, in line with EU regulations. However, it has been awarded on a non-exclusive basis to ensure competition can continue.
	The DVLA is currently in discussion with the wider high street photography sector to explore how the sector can use the non-exclusive nature of the contract to continue to create further innovative solutions for service delivery. Any proposals will be judged against the need to fulfil DVLA requirements on Department for Business Innovation and Skills quality and security, customer service quality in terms of convenience and overall cost, and compliance with the Government's digital strategy.
	Cogent equipment installed in around 750 post offices can be used by customers wishing to renew a driving licence. It is important to note that 10-year renewals were introduced in 2008, leading to the requirement for approximately 2.3 million additional photographs per year. Customers' decisions on where to source these photographs—be that using Cogent equipment in a post office, a high street photographer, or an alternative source—will be driven by personal preference, cost, and convenience.
	Customers are also able to apply online to renew the photograph on their driving licence if they have a recent valid UK passport. In addition customers may, if they wish, still apply by post using their own printed ID photographs.

Procurement

John Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to the answer of 14 January 2013, Official Report, column 584W, on procurement, which organisations were awarded research contracts that were not competitively tendered by his Department in (a) 2011 and (b) 2012.

Jo Swinson: The organisations which were awarded research contracts that were not competitively tendered by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills in (a) 2011 and (b) 2012 is as follows:
	(a) 2011
	Mu Ventures Ltd
	Ctrl Shift
	Aston University
	JERA
	Gaynor Whyles
	Word of Mouth Research Ltd
	University of Greenwich
	Michael Reilly
	Institute for Manufacturing, Cambridge
	Birbeck—University of London
	Michael Spackman
	London Economics
	(b) 2012
	Oxford Economics
	Michael Reilly
	RM Data Solutions
	Stuart Fraser, Warwick Business School
	Ipsos Mori
	Michael Spackman
	CASS
	IFF Research
	UEA Consulting Ltd (Original PO set up for University of East Anglia)
	RM Data Solutions
	London Economics
	CEPR
	I-Graduate
	Element Energy
	National Inst of Economic and Social Research (NIESR)
	K-Matrix
	S. Wood

Technology and Innovation Centres

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many catapult centres are currently open for business; how many further catapult centres he expects to be open for business by the end of 2013; and by what date he expects each of the latter to be open for business.

David Willetts: holding answer 17 January 2013
	The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills is currently implementing a network of seven Catapult Technology and Innovation Centres through the Technology Strategy Board (TSB).
	The development of these centres goes through a number of stages which can be summarised into the three phases below:
	1. Start-up—The Catapult exists as an entity independent of the TSB.
	2. Open for business—The Catapult has capacity to engage directly with customers and stakeholders.
	3. Long-term framework in place—The Catapult has a long-term funding agreement with the TSB based on a long-term business plan.
	At present four Catapults are at Phase 2. It is anticipated that the fifth and sixth centres will reach this stage in March 2013 and the final centre will reach this stage by the end of June 2013.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

East Africa

Ivan Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development pursuant to her answer of 13 December 2012, Official Report, column 446W, on Rwanda, if she will provide further details on the options her Department is considering to help the poorest in Uganda and Rwanda following her recent decision to suspend budget support to those countries.

Lynne Featherstone: The Government does not publish advice to Ministers. We are monitoring situation in Rwanda closely and will make further announcements in due course.

Government Procurement Card

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many (a) staff and (b) special advisers in her Department have use of a Government Procurement Card.

Alan Duncan: DFID currently has 83 Government Procurement Card holders. All are DFID staff, and none are special advisers.
	DFID's Government Procurement Cards are for business use only and represent a cost effective way for DFID to procure low value goods and services. Card holders are not permitted to use the cards for personal expenses.

Procurement

Ivan Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will provide a list of all contracts with suppliers and consultants held by her Department which are valued over £350,000.

Alan Duncan: In line with the UK Government's Transparency Agenda DFID publishes all contracts let in the UK with a contract value in excess of £10,000 on Contracts Finder that can be accessed from the DFID Portal at:
	www.dfid.gov.uk/Work-with-us/DFID-portal/
	following the contracts finder link.
	Information published includes details of successful suppliers, contract values and the services being provided under the scope of the contract.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Bahrain

Katy Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of whether Land Rover components supplied from the UK have been used in the manufacture or maintenance of Otokar armoured patrol vehicles used by the Bahraini military or security forces; and if he will make a statement.

Alistair Burt: Not all Land Rover parts require an export licence so making such an assessment is impractical.
	No licence applications from Land Rover have been received for the export of components to the Turkish Manufacturer Otokar for ultimate end use on armoured patrol vehicles in Bahrain.
	All export licences are considered on a case-by-case basis against the Consolidated EU and National Arms Export Licensing Criteria governing arms exports, in light of the prevailing circumstances at the time of application and depending on end use.

Burundi

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent reports he has received on the return of Burundian refugees from Tanzania.

Mark Simmonds: The British ambassador and his staff have visited the refugee camps in Burundi on a number of occasions, most recently on 7-8 January. They did so in support of a Department for International Development funded project for the return of 34,000 refugees from Tanzania and to monitor the refugees' reintegration. We believe the key challenges faced by the refugees and the Burundian Government are education (many have been educated in English and now are returning to a French system); jobs; access to health care; and access to land.

Burundi

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of UK relations with Burundi.

Mark Simmonds: The Burundian Foreign Minister met with the Senior Minister for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. and noble Friend Baroness Warsi, and senior officials on 17 January 2013. The friendly discussions covered a range of issues including Burundi's support for AMISOM and peacekeeping, Somalia, the situation in Mali, human rights in Burundi, UK Development funding and transitional justice.

Government Procurement Card

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many (a) staff and (b) special advisers in his Department have use of a Government Procurement Card.

David Lidington: A total of 2,662 staff at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, in both UK and overseas, have use of a Government Procurement Card (GPC). Special advisers do not have use of these cards.
	Monthly spending on GPC cards is reviewed and approved by a designated ‘approver’, in accordance with Cabinet Office policy. In this way, all cards are monitored for inappropriate spend and misuse.

Mali

Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the security situation in Mali; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Simmonds: The UK is deeply concerned about recent developments in Mali. The recent advances made by rebel Islamist groups extend their reach and threaten the stability of Mali and the wider region. These developments show the need to make urgent progress in implementing UN Security Council Resolutions on Mali and of ensuring that military intervention is reinforced by an inclusive political process that leads to elections and a return to full civilian rule.
	We support the French in preventing al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb's (AQIM) recent aggression against the Government of Mali. AQIM are a threat to the region and to the Government of Mali. As President Hollande has said and the Prime Minister has re-affirmed, if left unchecked, AQIM could threaten the west more directly.

Mali

Richard Fuller: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he is taking to reduce the risk of violence against women arising from the conflict in Northern Mali.

Mark Simmonds: Mali is a rapidly developing situation and we are engaging with regional partners and the UN regarding the protection of civilians, including women. In our position as a permanent Security Council member we strongly supported UNSCR Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 2085, which clearly expressed the responsibilities of all parties involved in the crisis for the protection of civilians and the primacy of international law. Further to this, the Resolution called for military forces in Mali to take into account UNSC resolution 1325 and subsequent resolutions on women, peace and security. Resolution 2085 also strongly condemns all human rights abuses including those involving violence against civilians, notably women and children. We will continue to uphold our commitments under both UNSCR 2085 and 1325 and work with regional and international partners to minimise the risk to all civilians.

Middle East

Stephen Phillips: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he is taking to ensure the protection of Christians in the Middle East.

Alistair Burt: We deplore all discrimination against religious minorities and constraints on their freedom to practise their faith. We regularly urge all Governments in the Middle East and North Africa to ensure the protection of all minorities, including Christians. I meet regularly to discuss issues relating to Christians in the Middle East with NGOs and Christian figures from the region.
	The UK continues to urge the Syrian National Coalition to ensure substantive participation from minority communities, including Christians, consistent with the Coalition's inclusive and democratic aims. Protection of religious minorities in Egypt is also a priority. In his meeting with President Mursi on 26 September 2012, the Prime Minister stressed the importance of ensuring that the rights of all minorities would be protected. We have also urged that respect for minority rights be enshrined in the new Constitution. I have done so in my contact with the Egyptian authorities and have held discussions with religious groups, including during my visit to Egypt this month.
	During the visit to the UK of President Marzouki of Tunisia and Rached Ghannouchi, leader of the Ennahda party, in November 2012 to receive the Chatham House prize, my discussions reflected on their work in Tunisia to achieve an inclusive constitution and commitment to universal rights.

Middle East and North Africa

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether his Department follows a uniform approach with other EU member states when issuing travel advice and travel warnings for countries in the middle east and north Africa.

Mark Simmonds: There is no uniform approach among EU member states regarding travel advice. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office's (FCO) travel advice provides information and advice to help British nationals stay safe abroad. The safety of British nationals is our main concern. Each EU member state issues its own travel advice according to the risks applicable to its own nationals. The FCO does, however, regularly exchange information with EU partners about travel advice and other consular matters.

Nigeria

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with the Nigerian High Commission on attacks from Niger and Chad.

Mark Simmonds: I met the Nigerian High Commissioner in London on 6 December 2012. We discussed a range of issues including the security situation in Northern Nigeria.
	Officials at the British High Commission in Abuja meet their Nigerian counterparts regularly to discuss security issues including possible cross-border threats.

Nigeria

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with the government of Nigeria on assistance to churches in that country to help stop the attacks from Boko Haram.

Mark Simmonds: Officials at the British High Commission in Abuja meet their Nigerian counterparts regularly to discuss security issues including recent attacks on places of worship. The UK has a strong relationship on counter terrorism policy with Nigeria and funds a number of programmes in Nigeria to tackle the underlying causes of conflict.

Nuclear Disarmament

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs with reference to the Coalition Agreement: Programme for Government, in what ways his Department has pressed for continued progress on multilateral nuclear disarmament; and if he will set out the occasions on which British nuclear weapons have been incorporated into multilateral nuclear disarmament negotiations since May 2010.

Alistair Burt: The 2010 Strategic Defence and Security Review (SDSR) reaffirmed the Government's commitment to maintaining the minimum credible nuclear deterrent and announced that we will reduce the UK's number of operationally available warheads; reduce our overall nuclear weapons stockpile; and reduce the number of warheads on board our nuclear deterrent submarines.
	In order for the UK to offer to include its small number of nuclear weapons in multilateral disarmament negotiations there would first need to be further reductions in the much larger nuclear weapons stockpiles held by other states and greater assurances that no new major threats will emerge that could threaten the UK or its vital interests. The UK is focussed on building the international environment that will make this possible.
	We have maintained our strong support for the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and the Action Plan agreed by all NPT signatories at the 2010 NPT Review Conference. In 2009, the UK instigated the first meeting of the P5 nuclear-weapons states to discuss our disarmament commitments. This has been followed by frequent P5 dialogues, including a UK-hosted meeting to discuss progress with the groundbreaking UK-Norway Initiative on the dismantlement verification in April 2012. Discussions among P5 partners and others continue across a wide range of disarmament issues. The UK has long been a strong and vocal advocate of entry into force of the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty and continues to provide expert support to the Treaty's verification regime. We also continue to press for negotiations on a Fissile Material Cut off Treaty in the Conference on Disarmament.

Press: Subscriptions

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much his Department spent on newspapers and periodicals in 2011-12.

David Lidington: In financial year 2011-12, total global spend recorded for Publications and Library and Information Services, which includes newspapers, periodicals and trade profession magazines as well as electronic subscriptions, was £2 million, down by 9% from £2.2 million in 2010-11, a figure which I gave on 25 October 2011, Official Report, column 181W. These amounts cover spend across all of the UK's embassies and diplomatic posts overseas, as well as all the Foreign and Commonwealth Office's departments in London. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office continues to seek savings including by partnering with other Government Departments to obtain best value when purchasing these goods and services.

Publications

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how often his Department produces a staff magazine.

David Lidington: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has not produced a staff magazine since May 2010.
	There is a ‘Communities and Social’ page on our intranet (FCONet) which contains items of news sent in by members of staff.
	We make use of other channels to communicate regularly with staff on corporate issues, including FCONet, the weekly FCO Bulletin, messages from members of the board and all-staff meetings.
	Particular business areas produce their own electronic regular bulletins and newsletters on work-related issues for specific sections of staff.

South Sudan

Mark Durkan: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs with reference to the November 2011 report from Médecins Sans Frontières, what reports he has received of ongoing violence in Jonglei State, South Sudan; and what contribution the Government is making to supporting peace in that state.

Mark Simmonds: We are aware of Médecins Sans Frontières' report on Jonglei, and are deeply concerned at the human rights abuses it details. We continue to be concerned about the conflict in Jonglei—the incidences of violence, the humanitarian needs, and the implications for health care. Our support through the UN mission in South Sudan is helping to build the capacity of the South Sudanese security forces so that the Government is better equipped to assume their primary responsibility for the protection of civilians.
	We welcome assurances by the Government of South Sudan that protection of civilians is the top priority for the South Sudanese security services in Jonglei, and continue to remind the Government at every opportunity of its human rights obligations. We are providing support to peace-building efforts in Jonglei and neighbouring states, and improving state-level capacity to respond rapidly to outbreaks of violence. We are also calling on political and community leaders for calm, and encouraging a strong South Sudan National Police Service deployment to restore security in Jonglei.

Sri Lanka

Dominic Raab: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he is taking to combat human rights abuses in Sri Lanka.

Alistair Burt: The British Government regularly urges the Sri Lankan Government to improve the human rights situation, to investigate reports of infringements of human rights and prosecute those responsible. We seek to promote progress on human rights through direct lobbying, working with international partners, and funding human rights projects.
	We pressed for and welcomed the Sri Lanka resolution agreed at the UN Human Rights Council (HRC) in March 2012. The resolution underlines the importance that Governments across the world attach to supporting lasting peace and reconciliation in Sri Lanka. We also supported the EU position over removal of Generalised Scheme of Preferences Plus as a means to press the Sri Lankan Government to meet its human rights obligations. The British Government most recently raised human rights concerns internationally during the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) of Sri Lanka at the HRC in November 2012. We look forward with interest to the ‘Report of the Working Group’ from Sri Lanka's UPR, which we expect to be formally adopted in March 2013.
	On 11 January, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office issued a statement expressing our deep concern on the recent impeachment of the Chief Justice in Sri Lanka, which can be found here:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/news/uk-deeply-concerned-by-move-to-impeach-sri-lankan-chief-justice
	Together with international partners, we will continue to use every opportunity to raise human rights concerns with the Sri Lankan Government, including my visit in the coming weeks.

Sudan

William Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the comments of the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs' Director of Operations to the UN Security Council on 8 January 2013 for help in reaching people affected by the humanitarian crisis in the South Kordofan and Blue Nile provinces; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Simmonds: We share the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs’ directors’ concern at the humanitarian crisis in Southern Kordofan and Blue Nile, which is liable to worsen unless substantial assistance reaches those affected very soon. We will work with Security Council members to continue to press both parties for an immediate cessation of hostilities, which will allow full humanitarian access without delay.

Sudan

Mark Durkan: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received on the closure of the Al Khatim Adlan Center for Enlightenment and Human Development, the Sudanese Studies Centre, the Arry Organisation for Human Rights and the Hela Help Organisation in Sudan.

Mark Simmonds: We are very concerned by the recent closures of four non-governmental organisations, and the reported harassment of their staff and confiscation of their property. Working closely with our EU partners, we are making clear our concern to the Government of Sudan, and will encourage them to reconsider their decision and to allow the organisations to re-open. We urge the Government of Sudan to promote an environment where civil society can exist freely and contribute to a national dialogue process that meets the needs and aspirations of all its citizens.

Travel Information

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when issuing travel advice and travel warnings for a country on the FCO website, what distinction his Department makes between safer and more dangerous regions.

Mark Simmonds: The purpose of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office travel advice is to help British nationals make better informed choices about foreign travel. The safety of British nationals is our main concern, but the decision on whether or not to travel rests with the individual. Our travel advice is based on information from various sources including our embassies overseas. We only advise against all or all but essential travel if we consider the risk to British nationals has become unacceptably high. In the case of threats from terrorism this is defined specifically as instances where the threat is sufficiently specific, large-scale or endemic to affect British nationals severely.

Uganda

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with his Ugandan and Congolese counterparts on the threat from the Kony organisation.

Mark Simmonds: In my most recent meetings with Ugandan and Congolese Ministers in November 2012 I stressed the importance of finding a sustainable resolution to the continued instability in the region. It is clear that the LRA remains part of the threat to regional stability.
	We have consistently promoted a co-ordinated international approach to defeating the LRA and are particularly active in leading this work in the UN Security Council. We are encouraging affected countries to convene a high-level meeting inter alia to discuss how to bring Joseph Kony to justice.

Yemen

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether his Department has had discussions with interested parties on a possible resumption of direct flights between the UK and Yemen.

Alistair Burt: UK officials are discussing with members of the Yemeni Government the question of resuming direct flights. The British Government continues to work with Yemen to improve their overall aviation security, following the installation of UK-supplied security equipment at Sana'a International Airport and the provision of related training.

Yemen

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he plans to reintroduce consular services in Yemen.

Alistair Burt: I refer the right hon. Member to my answer of 25 October 2012, Official Report, column 1025W. The British embassy in Sana'a continues to offer a limited consular service to British nationals in Yemen given the range of security challenges within the country. Any decision to provide a fuller range of consular services will be judged against the security implications for staff serving at our embassy in Sana'a, and will be fully reflected in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office travel advice which can be found on our website and, at the present time, advises against all travel to Yemen.